As the Last Leaf Falls
by AlmostElectric
Summary: Uchiha Itachi left behind one hell of a legacy, and Naruto wonders how he got pulled into it. The dead are certainly the most unpredictable. No pairings, post Invasion of Pain arc, time travel
1. Chapter 1

** A/N: Hi! I've wrote fanfiction on a couple of accounts before, and I had some fans and stuff but I figured it's probably best to start afresh. This is going to be a pretty long story, and I think the first couple of chapters are going up today and tomorrow. It won't be miserable forever- promise!**

** Inspired by the song "The Last Leaf Falls" by Lucas King. He's an obscure piano composer on youtube, give him a listen!**

**Disclaimer: Well, yeah, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. The plot, scenery... yeah, no.**

* * *

The room was white. It was clean and new, relatively freshly built by a gasping Yamato. The chair he was sat on was a light turquoise, and he could not see the cushions on the doctor's chair for his white coat. He held a white clipboard, adorned with white paper clipped beneath a shimmering clip of metal. The tiles above his head were white, the walls painted the same; the desk was made of wood, the legs a lighter shade than the rest. The shelves bulged with paper, envelopes, folders- the desk was littered with them, in an haphazard yet organised manner.

The stern-looking lips were saying something, the man's features curled in a gentle look. A man he would have thought as sharp as his jaw, yet he had a kind look in his knotted eyebrows, a gentle curl to his lips. The doctor had brown hair.

"...Naruto-"

Ah, that was right. Everyone was on first-name basis with him now. That happens when you revive half the village with words alone. Everyone was friends with him now. They'd all recognised him, thrown up the 'gallant hero' in the air as a bright celebration. Recognition, kindness. Even this man, a man he had not spoken to nor seen prior to today, was on a first-name basis with the living legend himself, Uzumaki Naruto. Within the chest of every person in the village bloomed a flower of respect and admiration for him.

It irked him in a way he never thought it would; it made him itch at his own skin when they touched him with a familiarity he'd not seen in a stranger before. Smiles, waves, positive gossip, all directed at or about Naruto. Though he'd sought it with an unnatural vigour, now... _now-_

"I'm sorry." The voice of the kindly doctor cut through his thoughts. "Naruto, sir, do you understand what I've-"

"_Aa._" Naruto stared blankly past the man. The paint on the wall wasn't as consistent as it should've been, there; the vertical pattern of the wood was showing through. "I understand." He shot the man a bright, empty smile. For a short moment, all he saw in the man's eyes was a deep, profound pity. It made Naruto feel nauseous.

"Thanks, uh..."

"Nara," the doctor said. "Nara Daisuke."

Naruto recognised the surname, but nothing more. He nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Daisuke-san. I'll be here the Thursday after next, so... 'til then." He was unsure what exactly he could possibly be thanking this man for.

The shinobi made for the door, eager to get out of that stifling environment, when a gentle voice stopped him.

"Naruto... listen. I have a feeling that... the predicted 2 years may reduce. There is the slim chance that it will go altogether, however..." _...I don't think that's the case,_ Naruto heard. He knew those were the words the civilian doctor did not want to say._ I don't think that's the case. I think you're going to die. I don't think you'll become Hokage. I don't think you'll bring Sasuke home I don't think I don't think I don't think-_

"That's fine." Naruto's voice had a clear bite that echoed throughout the room. He slammed the door, walking through a quiet reception. The receptionist stared. Naruto's fists clenched, feeling her shallow curiosity glaring through him.

Naruto walked. It was getting late, the sky a darker hue and the streets lit by the beautiful lanterns hung outside of the shops. It was a reddish yellow tinge that didn't quite meet to make a vibrant orange; the lights of closing shop doorways spilled onto the cobbles. The blond looked at the cobbles and the cobbles only. He dared not look up to meet the gazes of passers-by. He wasn't sure why. The only thing he could hear was the quiet, acute noise of his footsteps- an orderly sound, a rhythmic sound. A predictable sound.

Turning the corner at the outskirts of the village, he continued down a darkened alleyway. The stench of alcohol and urine became stronger the further he walked. He could hear laughing, the shrill giggles of intoxicated women as they poured out of bars with lecherous men gaping at their scantily clad figures. The clanking of glasses as they were knocked together, cleaned, filled with ice and stacked. Even this early in the evening, the bars were full. Naruto doubted he'd get much attention here.

The blond opened the door, not a single man turning to see who had come in. Everyone was engrossed in one another, a potential partner, or themselves. There was more than one free chair at the bar. Naruto walked slowly, shuffling himself quietly onto the barstool. The bartender looked kind enough, a rugged gentleness as he asked in a stereotypically rough voice what he wanted.

"Sake," Naruto said. "Any will do. Make it a double shot, please."

The man did not question his request. Naruto imagined he'd gotten stranger ones. He could imagine that being a bartender would bring about the more peculiar stories, and probably confessions too. Any man might make a confession of their unfaithfulness if they were drunk enough.

As soon as the man placed the shot down, Naruto downed it. That was what he needed, definitely what he needed. The smell - _the taste! _- was so incredibly bitter and strong, pure fire rolling down his throat and into his gut. He couldn't remember when he'd ate; Naruto imagined this would hit him hard. _The harder the better, _Naruto reasoned, and ordered another double-shot. This disappeared down his throat just as fast. He ordered another and did the same.

The world was beginning to sway, his balance completely off -_ oh God, I think it's hit me_ - and Naruto slumped forward, holding his head as he tried to think coherently. He looked up at the bartender to order another, but the man shook his head, coughing. "I can't serve any more to you. You're in a right state, son."

Naruto sighed heavily, his cheeks flush with alcohol as he gazed up at the assortment of liquor displayed above him._ So many colours,_ he thought dazedly. _Like the sky. In the morning, it's pink, in the day it's blue, at sunset it's a whole rainbow, then orange, then nearly black... the sky is the most colourful of things. _

_I wish Ero-sennin was here. _

The bartender leaned one elbow on the bar, leaving the fist below his jaw. He looked Naruto in the eyes, a flicker of concern in his own. "Are you alright, Naruto? You're the legend of the village son, but you ain't lookin' so great. I'll speak not of your worries. It's certainly better than drinking like you're doin' now." _What do you really care?_ Naruto thought bitterly.

"Just got shome bad newsh, ish all."

"Ah, we all get some occasionally," the bartender said, cleaning a glass absent mindedly. "I'm sure it'll all be fine."

_No, it won't. It will never be okay. How can things ever be okay?_ "I... don't think sho," Naruto said, spinning a small sake shot cup with his finger. He had a bad feeling his speech was becoming as unclear as his eyesight, and he stood up only to stumble, grasping for the side of the bar.

"You alright getting home, son?"

_Stop treating me special, goddammit.  
_  
"Yeah."

_Don't fucking look at me like that._

Naruto stumbled out of the bar, his vision not exactly blurred more than his eyes unwilling to focus- his mind unwilling to think properly, to see. He stumbled, his hands groping for a handhold only to find the unsteady balance of a bin. The blond pulled himself up, glassy-eyed with the unfocused gaze of a drunk. He walked, slowly but surely down the alleyway, hopefully the way he'd come, and the sound of people faded. The streets were largely empty; hours had passed since he'd came. How long had he sat there, staring and daydreaming?

He looked up, and the sky was startlingly dark, and the stars startlingly bright. They were the sharp subtle mothbites in the black cloak of a God. A God that was not there, a God that could not be there. Not for Naruto.

Naruto found himself walking, walking along that path beside the pier, and he stopped. The water was still; there was little wind, and the boy stumbled down the steep side of the path as he tried to reach the pier. He almost fell, twisting his ankle with his clumsy attempt at getting down the path.

He walked and found himself standing on the pier. The planks had little distance between them, but the feeling that nagged at Naruto was that if he was not careful, he would fall between these planks, thin and pathetic and drowning in the stagnant, envelopingly dark waters below. The shinobi grabbed what was left of his conscious, rational thought and sat, slowly and carefully shuffling himself to the edge of the pier. He swung his legs over the edge. Once upon a time, Sasuke had sat in this very spot, a younger self skipping rocks over the water as Naruto gazed on from afar, feeling as though there was someone who shared his feelings of futility.

Now, Naruto's legs had grown so long that his shoes grazed the surface of the water. It was dark now, but the time was indiscernible. The tip of his foot disrupted everything, but Naruto could still see the astonishingly beautiful reflection of the cloudless night sky. It was complete darkness, yet the wondrous stars dazzled him, their tiny pinpricks of light bundling together to create a fantastic sky full of swirling patterns of astronomical immensity. Looking at it, Naruto could not help but feel very small.

The blond leaned back, gazing at the sky. It was so dark, so horrendously dark, and yet so undeniably blue. The black blue sky did nothing to ease the pain in his chest. Naruto did not want to die, not in the slightest. Nothing could ever ease or heal the horrendous pain that was throbbing, pulsing inside his chest. His dreams were gone, his aspirations, interests, everything about Naruto would soon be dead. It was little comfort that people would speak of him afterwards. He had no interest in being a legend. How would he fulfil Jiraiya's request, Nagato's request?

_Sasuke, what would you do?_

It was a pointless question, and Naruto laughed at himself, his clear laughter tinkling out on the open lake. He laughed, his laughter becoming yet more hysterical as he did so. Laughing, laughing, laughing, because Sasuke's answer would be no more helpful than his own. Sasuke wouldn't speak to him unless it was life or death, because the ebony-haired teenager harboured such a substantial hatred for Naruto that he wanted nothing more than to run him through with his chokuto. So why, why was Naruto asking him for help, like his pointless question would reach past nations anyway?

His laughter became choked by sobs, unwanted tears that poured out against his will. _Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ Naruto chuckled to himself. _Oh God, I'm dying._

I'm dying, Sasuke.

* * *

The crackling of fire was the only discernible noise.

Suigetsu shivered, glugging some water from a water bottle as he sorted through his belongings at the campside. He took out some cream, applying it to a large scab on his arm. He stared at Sasuke. He's especially quiet tonight. But not just Sasuke quiet, more like... _a thoughtful quiet?_

Suigetsu wiped the remaining antiseptic cream on his pants, shooting Sasuke a glance. He was deep in thought; Juugo and Karin were sleeping, but he'd not been able to sleep and it was probably the same for Sasuke. _He's probably just brooding over the Hachibi's escape. He doesn't lose often... if at all._

He looked up. The sky was bright with starlight, the middle of the woods having no light pollution at all. Each star glistened and Suigetsu never failed to be impressed by how many there were; on a cloudless night like this, it was even easier to appreciate the simple beauty. He looked at Sasuke. For a moment, he could have sworn Sasuke's gaze was turned to the sky as well.

"_Na_, Sasuke."

He gave no inkling that he'd heard.

"Why did you abandon Konoha in the first place?"

Suigetsu felt he'd hit a nerve, because there was a subtle change in Sasuke's gaze, in his posture. Maybe he'd hit on his thoughts right then. It wasn't like  
Suigetsu could read what the change meant, but any change in emotion was something out of the ordinary for Sasuke.

"For power."

"Yeah, yeah, I got that, but..." Suigetsu paused, taking a moment to make sure he phrased his words right. Being at the end of Sasuke's sword was never all too fun. "I mean, didn't you have... I dunno, a team? A sensei? Since you had previous training to be a ninja and all..."

Sasuke did not respond, but Suigetsu felt his sharp, unyielding gaze boring through him. He bit back the urge to tell him to calm down._ It'll probably get me killed... I shouldn't have asked._

"Yeah, sorry, I shouldn'ta-"

"I did."

That was the most information Suigetsu thought he'd ever get from Sasuke regarding his previous life. Of course, Suigetsu was aware of Sasuke's defection from Konoha to Oto, to Orochimaru more specifically- he was aware Sasuke had exceptional skill, a single Uchiha remaining after the massacre perpetrated by his brother. Sasuke had sought revenge, until... Itachi had been innocent after all. But Suigetsu knew there must have been friends, been a team or... some sort of bond tying him back to Konoha. Either way, it hadn't held him back. He'd severed that bond, and now he was here.

Yet, Suigetsu couldn't help but ask.

"I'm guessing you just cut all ties with them, then."

Suigetsu had, after all, heard about that incident in one of Orochimaru's hideouts, where supposedly Sasuke had been confronted by old bonds from Konoha. Sasuke had been quick to anger, apparently - something he had not seen from him since he had battled with Itachi - until Orochimaru had resolved the situation by taking Sasuke and escaping with him.

Sasuke leaned back, black hair sliding off his face as he gazed up at the sky. His expression was hard to interpret, though Suigetsu guessed that he was reminiscing. He couldn't help but note how peculiar an occasion this must be for Sasuke to openly think about his past.

"I had no choice." Sasuke's voice was cold, though Suigetsu had not expected that response- it was as though he'd once appreciated his old team... _or sensei. Whoever._ "He was just an idiot anyway."

Suigetsu hadn't expected such an oddly affectionate name to be used when thinking about his ties back to Konoha. He tried to imagine a younger Sasuke, spending time with people of his own volition, but found that his imagination was not extensive enough.

"I will destroy Konoha," Sasuke said. "and with it, I will destroy him."

He couldn't find the words in him to respond to such a cold, concrete statement, but could not help but think that if only Madara hadn't told him the truth of his brother's past, Sasuke might have decided to return to his homeland.

It was a shame, Suigetsu decided, as the heat of the campfire distorted the night sky.

* * *

The morning came like no other, Naruto waking up in his house after stumbling back the night before. His ankle still hurt, and now his head did. After making a couple of pathetic groans, he rolled out of bed, crawling through the clothes he'd discarded onto his floor to reach the bathroom.

It was white.

The hangover hit him abruptly and he vomited violently into the toilet, the odour strong in his nose. It made his headache yet worse, as he coughed up the last strands of bile. He hadn't eaten, after all.  
_  
Oh God. Oh..._

Knock. Knock."Naruto?"

Ah, that was Sakura. He stood up, flushing the toilet, before pouring some mouthwash into the lid and rinsing his mouth of the acidic stench it surely had. It wouldn't do to have her worrying... nagging him all day about the dangers of heavy drinking. She'd understand if he told her why... but he couldn't. _Not now._

"Naruto, I know you're in there!" More incessant pounding on the door.

"_Aa_, just a second, Sakura-chan." His voice came out as a disused croak, and he coughed, hitting his chest with his fist to get rid of the miserable tone. He realised he only had a pair of pyjama pants on, but did not dwell on it. _She, uh... should be fine with it?_

He walked out into the hall and opened the door to meet with a displeased Sakura.

"Naruto! Put a top on or something!"

The blond laughed, a brash smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I only really just woke up, and it was hot, so..."

Sakura's features turned gentler as her eyes seemed to analyse him briefly. "Naruto, are you feeling alright? You look bad." _Thanks._

Naruto laughed, the same, false laugh that came with all things he'd lied about in his childhood. Really, it sounded the same as his real one anyway. "I'm okay, Sakura-chan! Just a bit..."

Her features turned stern, aquamarine eyes contorting in mild annoyance. "A hangover, isn't it? I can smell the alcohol on you, Naruto."

Naruto's face fell into a guilty expression before he'd had the mind to change it. Sakura shook her head, her pink hair softly chafing the side of her face.

"Come on, Naruto. Well, we have a mission-"

"Eh!?"

"-for tomorrow," Sakura finished. "It's probably something like collecting supplies from neighbouring towns, but still. You can't afford to be sick for it, so stay out of the bars tonight, at least." She turned her nose up, clearly unhappy with his behaviour. Like a mother would be. The concern still felt unfamiliar after all these years.

Naruto laughed gratefully. "_Aa_. I promise, Sakura-chan! I just... had a bad day yesterday."

She nodded, in an understanding that Naruto would never have been able to muster himself. "Whatever you say, Naruto," she said, eyes gazing elsewhere.

They turned to meet his gaze quickly, however, and she crossed her arms and leaned on one leg. "Well, go get ready. We have to go for a mission debriefing in an hour or so, and it never hurts to be early."

"Ah! Uh, okay. Come sit down a sec, I'll only be a minute."

She nodded, smiling, walking in and going into the living room like it was her own home. The rosette settled down on his couch, putting her feet on his coffee table. She gazed outside, gazing through the blinds at the strangers walking past. She looked around the house. It was not lavish by any standards, though it was better than the apartment Naruto'd had before. Being a hero, she supposed, had it's benefits.

Naruto poked his head through the space between the door and the wall. "You don't mind if I get a quick shower, do you? I'll only be like 10 minutes, but I guess I really do smell of sake."

"It's fine. We're early anyway."

Naruto shot her one of those brilliant smiles. "Thanks, Sakura-chan! Help yourself to food and stuff. I won't be long."

She waited until she heard the bathroom door shut, and then the sound of running water. Sakura walked out of the living room and into Naruto's bedroom.

As she pushed the door open, she was surprised at the cleanliness. Apart from the clothes he had presumably thrown to the side in a drunken stupor, the room was relatively spotless, either out of his change in habits or inability to have messed it up in the time he'd lived here. Sakura reminded herself that she hadn't come to snoop.

On his bedside table would normally reside the picture of their team. Sakura had mindlessly, stupidly hoped that it would be somehow salvaged even with the destruction of the village. That Naruto had went through the wreckage and found it. It was a foolish idea, a foolish want, and Sakura had known this but all the same hoped that it would be here. That she could see Sasuke on it again, could see Sasuke glaring angrily at Naruto in a rivalry that was now an instinct to kill.

Team 7. The three-man-cell. It made her heart ache to think of those whimsical, those pathetic attempts to make Sasuke stay. He'd thanked her, he'd thanked her for what? Being his teammate, for trying, for _what_? She didn't know, she still couldn't understand those words, and it angered her to an extent she hated to admit, it made her fists clench so hard her knuckles turned white.

She looked at Naruto's bedside table, and pulled out the drawer beneath the tabletop. In there lay one possession only: Sasuke's _hitai-ate._

Shakily, she picked it up by the blue material, the metal glinting in the small beams of sunlight that peered through Naruto's curtains.

Sakura had no idea how Naruto had attained this _hitai-ate,_ but could only assume that Sasuke had left it behind, with this mark- perhaps to tell Naruto without any words at all, that he did not plan on returning. That Konoha was no longer his home. Now, to Sasuke, it seemed as though it never had been.

Tears fell unwillingly from her eyes. They poured, dripping down onto the metal itself. She felt the scar through the metal with her finger, the metal that curled to the sides of the wound. It was as sharp as it had ever been. Sakura knew that he probably did not touch it often, in hopes that maybe Sasuke would wear it again.

The hope made her heart ache, made her head ache, for she knew not Sasuke's plans- but she knew killing Naruto was certainly one of them.

Sakura remembered with a heart-breaking clarity, how small they had been. They were short kids, Naruto and her still had chubby faces- even Sasuke's face had lengthened out over time. They were short, they were naive. They were children and nothing more, and yet she had pathetically confessed to Sasuke, begged him to take her somewhere with him, to take her on. Her words were, "everyday will be fun", and as she looked back, she felt like laughing. Sakura had not fully understood what Sasuke was trying to do, what Sasuke was leaving to do - fun and all of it's aspects had nothing to do with Sasuke's choice.

Sasuke was not leaving to have fun. Sasuke was leaving to kill his brother, and die in the process. To cleanse the "Uchiha".

Oh, how Sakura lamented about that boy. The kunoichi knew now that the Uchiha were far from innocent victims - they were at odds with the government, planning a coup d'etat. What did Sasuke think he was fighting for?

She clutched the_ hitai-ate_ close to her chest, the coldness of the metal making its way through the shirt and making the flesh above her heart feel cold and clammy. Sakura wished she'd understood Sasuke's thoughts. Even with all her textbook knowledge as a child, she had never been able to comprehend him. What boy would not tirelessly seek revenge for the death of his whole family? A pointless, menial death? Sakura was unsure of Itachi's role in it, but she was well aware that Itachi was indeed dead, by Sasuke's hands, no less.

It was a horrible feeling, to be helpless. Whereas Sasuke and Naruto strode ahead, their gazes captured by one another, their competitiveness and rivalry consuming them until the very end, Sakura felt as though she was drowning in the ocean they had rose above. Though she had promised to change that and become strong, Sakura had done nothing but watch their backs.

Tsunade had warned her that often a medic would have to stand back, healing others, unable to go to the front lines and defend those she loved. Though Sakura knew her work was of an irreplaceable quality and necessity, as she healed those dying she wanted nothing more than to save those she loved.  
The feeling of helplessness, of love for those that were risking their lives for her, was one that consumed her like a flame licking at her insides. Thought it was her job, Sakura never resigned to the knowledge that she would spend forever watching the backs of those she adored.

_I wish I understood you, Sasuke._ Her grip on the_ hitai-ate_ tightened._ There are so many things I need to say to you, but..._

"Sa... Sakura-chan? Are you alright?"

And there Naruto was, glistening with water, with only his pants on_ again_. He was still dripping with water and yet when he wrapped his arms around Sakura, she did nothing, only letting the tears fall faster. She looked up at him, vision blurred and unclear, yet amidst all the refraction she saw his eyes, deep blue eyes filled with concern meeting her own.

"Do you," she said, catching her breath, "do you think Sasuke... really wants to kill us?"_ To kill you?_

Naruto did not keep her gaze any longer, bringing her to his chest. She should have taken it as an action of comfort, but Sakura knew better; for Naruto to break that concentrated sharp gaze was a sign of uncertainty, something that rattled Sakura far more than it should have. For Naruto's resolve to be uncertain, she knew that Sasuke must indeed have a deep intent to kill Naruto, to kill her, to kill off Team 7 and its every remnant. The tears fell faster, and she let out a sob, a crack of her breath that sounded so shrill and desperate that she almost felt sorry for herself.

"Sakura-chan, I..." She looked up at him, but he was staring elsewhere, focused on an ethereal shadow of thought. Sakura did not want to hear the truth from Naruto's lips, though she doubted she would.

"Even if he does," he said, smiling at her- the words made her cringe, but he didn't react -"I'll break his legs and drag him home before he has the chance."

She smiled at him through the tears, the curve of her cheeks making the salty warm tears drip into her mouth. Though Sakura may have whined and moaned, she knew in all actuality that Naruto had it worse. What Sakura had not seen that day would have hurt the most, she was sure- and for Naruto to carry on searching for him, carry on adoring him like he did, Sakura was sure he had the strongest, most brilliant resolve there was.

So, she supposed, she couldn't help but smile, because Naruto was her friend, and Naruto was one of the most fantastic legends that had ever lived. Though brash and uneducated, his words of kindness and dedication tided over everyone he spoke to.

That was the day Sakura let go of Sasuke.

* * *

"Also, Naruto... I want to speak to you a moment."

Sakura didn't fail to hide her curiosity. Nothing could describe the relief she'd felt when Tsunade had awoken - every moment she saw her shishou drinking, avoiding paperwork or tapping her nails as per usual, she considered a moment she was blessed to have.

So, when Tsunade gave her an encouraging, kind and warm smile, Sakura felt her heart flutter with sheer happiness. Her shishou nodded at her, and Sakura understood immediately, leaving the room with the utmost trust in her teacher that if she were not permitted to hear it, it was entirely confidential.

She left without protest.

Naruto looked at the hokage. Her eyes were soft and quiet, and all of a sudden he knew that she knew. Her eyes welled up with tears as she stood up, leaning forward and encapsulating him in a hug. Her buxom chest crushed him, as did her crushingly strong arms. He felt tears on the side of his neck.

"Naruto..." she whispered, tears leaking. It was a rare occasion he saw Tsunade cry, and Naruto felt his own eyes welling up with tears.

"Obaa-chan," he began, tears leaking out of his eyes. "I don't... I don't..."_ I don't want to die, I don't want to die! _There were so many things Naruto wanted to scream.

"I know," the Hokage sobbed, as she held his shoulders and brought her eyes level with his. "Gaki... I promise I will do everything in my power to help you." Her gaze was sharp and sure, despite the tears of anguish that leaked from them. "There is no one else I would rather pass this title onto..."

The words crushed him, harder and stronger than anything before. His dream was within arms reach, but he was standing in quick sand, an inevitable slow death that would fill all of his freedom with liquid grit.

"Obaa-chan..."

She gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. "I promise... I'll find a cure. Don't... don't worry."

_Stop lying, Obaa-chan._

Naruto withdrew from the hug, looking at the woman in front of him. He saw her pulling her expression together, a desperate attempt to maintain composure. "Don't tell anyone."

Her eyes opened abruptly, her honey brown eyes filled with confusion. "Naruto... but what about your friends? Don't you want to give them the opportunity to... if you do-" Her voice cracked. "-if you _do_ pass away?"

The blond shinobi brought a hand to his forehead, sighing and looking out of the office window. He walked over to the window, looking outside onto a haphazard landscape of rebuilt houses and half-grown gardens. The wreckage at the sides was being taken apart and checked for belongings everyday. People were desperate. The whole village was.

Naruto would not hesitate to say that sometimes the village was hard to love.

Yet, his heart swelled every time he looked at all the friends he'd made, people once filled with hatred that smiled at him with a genuine kindness that he adored. Naruto did not consider it a talent, that these people who spoke with him became kind and genuine people. The blond saw in them what he could have been. What he refused to be, out of stubbornness.

He knew that it was easy to become that way.

Naruto often dreamt of a time, a universe maybe, where Naruto had fallen victim to hatred, and where Sasuke had not. Where Sasuke chased him with an unparalleled stubbornness, where Sasuke healed those around him with his undying kindness. It would be subdued and as stubborn as Sasuke himself. He would be Sasuke nonetheless... but forgiving and gentle, if childish. A time where Sasuke was not consumed by hatred.

Naruto knew it could have been.

So, he loved. He loved dearly those who dared not love him. Nagato was one. An evil maniac some labelled him as, but not Naruto. For behind the Six Pains lay a broken man desperately seeking peace in the only way he knew how.

Nagato, Konan, Neji, Gaara, Zabusa, Haku- the list went on. And yet, Naruto felt nothing aside from an emptiness, a cold emptiness, for the boy closest to him - the boy who should have felt the brunt of this "healing" thought process, left him, leaving only a few malicious words for the jinchuuriki to ponder over for years, years, years.

If Naruto let people know of his sickness, they'd opt to keep him in the village, preventing the Akatsuki from upping their search in knowledge that the boy would soon die. They'd try and cure him desperately, leaving him in a hospital room 24/7. Naruto decided that was unacceptable.

"You can't tell anyone," Naruto said. He turned to Tsunade, smiling. "If all goes well, you mightn't ever have to tell anyone."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "Naruto... take that goddamn necklace off." She lunged for his chest, unzipping his coat before he grabbed her hands with a firm grip.

The blond, brash shinobi stuck out his tongue at her, lightly pushing her hands away from him as he laughed. "Stop being an idiot! I've cheated death once. I'll do it again."

Though Tsunade desperately tried to smile at his silly, naive expression, she couldn't help but feel her stomach sinking lower and lower the more she looked at his smile.

* * *

_Dear Ero-sennin, _

_ Today, I found out that I'm dying._

There's a slim chance of a cure. Obaa-chan is, of course, the best in the world. If anyone else has had this illness... I probably have the best odds.

I don't want to tell anyone. Am I a coward? I'm not sure what it means. I don't want the time I have to be wasted on people feeling sorry for me.

The doctor- it was a civilian Nara guy. I didn't know they even had any civilians in that family -he said that my time will probably reduce. I only had 2 years anyway. 2 years, reducing. That's so little time anyway.

I don't know what to do. I have so many dreams.

How will I ever fulfil my promise to you, with less than 2 years on my hands?

I defeated Pain. It sounds so big, but I feel like it's so small now. I met Nagato and... he brought everyone back to life. He saved everyone. I'm getting told I'm a hero, but all I did was speak to him after defeating the Pains.

Thank you for your message. It was not wasted - it allowed everyone to figure out where the real Pain was.

I feel like a fake, when everyone treats me like I'm a hero. I would've died if you hadn't left that message. I would have failed, but Nagato dreamt of your ideals, too.

Your hopes for peace live on, Ero-sennin. It's a hard task... but I know that if you can hear me, wherever you are, I'll manage. Everyone says that I leave an impression on everyone I meet... I think that's you. Thanks to you, maybe there will come a day where we can all understand one another.

Thanks for everything, Ero-sennin. I will never, ever, forget you.

I'll make sure to do some peeping in your memory.

_Naruto_

* * *

**_AN: Thanks for reading! So much more to come. I can promise you this isn't just a story of misery... I'm planning for this to be an epic adventure. Also, this is a no-pairings story. I'm actually a SasuNaru fan, but this is a brotherly closeness only kind of story. It's going to be focal on those two... and... well, you'll see. Things are going to get interesting! _**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Before we begin, I'm going to outline some vocab so you don't have to scroll to the end when you see every word you don't get. **

**Kanji is one of the Japanese alphabets. It's the more complex letters you see that look like pictures. It comes from Chinese.**

**Fuuinjutsu is the art of sealing, like ninjutsu, taijutsu, etc.**

**Sumi-e ink is a type of ink that is formed with an ink stick and a suzuri, a block onto which you grind the ink stick with a small amount of water from a suiteki. This forms ink. Sumi-e ink is difficult to make, and forming the ink itself takes 10 years or more, and comes from burning the roots of certain trees for their resin before kneading it, adding scent and allowing it to age. Sumi-e ink is used often in gorgeous Japanese and Chinese paintings, and the name literally means, "monochromatic".**

**Also, I mentioned dango. Dango is the stuff Anko really likes. It's made of rice flour and sweet sauces, though the flavours, how it's made and served varies depending on the time of year. It's generally a treat.**

**I'm sorry I didn't update the day after. I've been hounded with work, and it's stressed me. But I'm happy to present to you, the second chapter. I hope some of the future plot points aren't too obvious. Don't try to ruin it for yourself, either (I do it all the time by predicting the ending of games and stories...).**

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

Sasuke found himself navigating through repetitive scenery.

As in, it all felt the same. Every tree, well-trodden path and shrubbery looked the same- his only rough guidance being Juugo, who was quite adept at keeping his path despite the misleading scenery. He held the map, with Sasuke cutting through any trees or bushes that lay ahead in order to make a path.

"I think it's better if we go that way straight for a little while. I might have been off in the previous direction." Juugo pointed vaguely to the north east. Sasuke did not respond, simply cutting through tree trunks and bushes. This part of the forest was rife with plants, not simply a forest but more a rainforest. It was humid for the canopy capturing all moisture below, and it was filled with shrubbery and ivy. Sasuke imagined there to be plenty of animals around as well, but he couldn't say he was concerned.

"Na, Sasuke, don't you think we've left a bit of an obvious path? What with all the trees you've cut down and all."

"Shut up, Suigetsu! There's no-one for miles, so it's hardly like we're being followed." He heard Karin smack the boy, hard. It was a reminiscent scene, but Sasuke pushed the thought back. The Uchiha could hardly afford to be thinking about that. He'd said more than enough to Suigetsu, the night before.

"Ah, the birds have told me of a man-made structure just ahead. I... uh, think that's it."

Sasuke nodded.

As he reached it, he saw that it had been relatively untouched - he assumed it was because of the complex (relatively fresh looking?) seals that had been placed over the entire building. It was small, but decently sized enough for a mere weapons house. He opened the door, pleased to see the seal simply lifted off the door. Probably designed to respond to Uchiha blood only.

As the door shut, he heard Suigetsu struggling to open the door, and Karin scolding him for even trying ("dumbass!").

"Oi," Sasuke said. "I might be in here for a few hours. Keep watch."

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun!"

The room was filled with weapons. Some had rusted, others had not. Much of the stuff in here was perfectly usable and of a surprising quality. Simple tools that Sasuke lacked- he'd make sure he took them on his way out.

_"The Uchiha weapons house, north of Konoha. In the basement..."  
_  
At the time, Sasuke had disregarded his words as the incoherent last gasps of a manic killer. Naturally, after he'd learned the true and horrific nature of Itachi's passing, Sasuke valued these words more than anything. He'd come here, but he couldn't say with any truthfulness that he knew what to look for.

He didn't have to look far; the moment he walked down the basement stairs, into complete darkness - with a puff of smoke, a scroll appeared on the floor and the lights flickered. Sasuke picked up the scroll, and feeling it's heavy weight, pulled up a weary-looking velvet stool and let the scroll roll out from the top. It was long. Sasuke blinked, before beginning to read.

"_Sasuke, there are many things I could never tell you. As my beloved younger brother, I could not bring myself to kill you. I killed all, my potential lover... but not you, never you. I threatened Danzo myself, stating I would leak the truth of the entire matter if you were to be harmed._

_I was proficient in all manner of things. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu... even fuuinjutsu. I spent my childhood reading the history of the village. The shinobi war I witnessed made me a pacifist... war disgusted me. I despised it. I only wanted peace, and yet, the Uchiha themselves were ready to begin a war. With Danzo's interception or not... something had to be done._

_I hated war. As I write these words, the hatred of all manner of conflict fills me. How ironic, I, an ultimate instrument of war, despise it altogether._

_Yet, I have many regrets. I wish that I had told you the truth, for perhaps they would have listened had we faced the problems together. In spurning you to kill your closest one, in spurning you to seek revenge... you abandoned your village. In an agonising attempt to hide my anguish, I carved out a path for you. The wrong path._

_It is too late now, and I had hoped that the matter would die with me, that the truth of the tarnished Uchiha would die with me. However, I've come to see that Uchiha Madara, the conductor behind this, will tell you the truth after my passing. I am ill, so incredibly ill- I can only hope I will live until my final confrontation with you._

_If I am under the impression Madara will tell you the truth, I will have directed you here._

_I am in the process of constructing the most important, most huge and complex seal I have ever attempted. It is so massive, so intricate that it has taken years of practice and planning to create it. I imagine, as you read this, that it is not complete. The patterns are so massive, so colossal... and I am not going to live to finish this._

_I know of a seals master, in the mountains of Lightning Country. He is old and blind, but I know him well, for he taught me. Take this seal to him, and it may take him time, but I have planned the outlines on the seal. Give him time, and he will complete it._

_Sasuke, I can't tell you what that seal does. I am not entirely sure that it will work. This man will know not to tell you either. I am afraid this is how it must be._  
_I can trust no one else to finish my final request. This is my final wish for you, Sasuke. If you hate Konoha, aim to destroy and ruin Konoha... I will respect that decision. No matter what, Sasuke, as my foolish younger brother... I love you._

_I cannot change what I have done. I wish for nothing more than that. This seal is the only opportunity I have to repent for misjudging your strength... for leading you down the wrong path. I regret it more than I have ever regretted anything, Sasuke._

_It is your choice, Sasuke. Even if I don't repent for what I have done... even if I can never lead you down the path I wish you had followed, I'm sure that Naruto boy will have something to do with your decisions. He certainly has a knack for managing the impossible._

_Uchiha Itachi of Konohagakure"_

And how that final line filled him with nausea, his brother who had been nothing short of slated stating himself a man of that village. It left Sasuke with a bad taste in his mouth.

As Itachi had himself said, in front of him appeared a large scroll. The Uchiha picked it up, and it was as weighty and large as Itachi had promised. He unrolled it, and Sasuke felt dizzy as it rolled out onto the dusty basement floor. Every space was occupied with tiny, detailed kanji with an impeccable calligraphy. The colossal scroll was near full of it- until the end. Here, Sasuke saw where there were mere blueprints for lines, for patterns and sealing symbols. This is the work Itachi did not live to finish. There were detailed notes, and even when Sasuke could read them, the meaning itself was as unclear as could be.

For a moment, Sasuke felt uncertain. He was flush with pride that his dear older brother had entrusted him with the duty of carrying on his life's work, of taking care of and executing his most intricate piece. As though he were a younger sibling again, gazing up at an approving older brother.

Yet, Sasuke could not deny the urge he had to discard this piece of work. It may well have been a seal designed to assist Konoha, though he could not deny that Itachi had not wrote of it as though this were the case – and he certainly was not accusing Itachi of lying.

For a moment, the ebony-haired boy deliberated, elegant fingers tracing the magnificent calligraphy that graced nearly the entire scroll, the fantastic patterns and scriptures that had all the grace and beauty of one thousand suns in a supernova of ink.

Sasuke did not waste a moment more, rolling up the large scroll and the smaller one. The smaller one he placed into his pocket, the other being strapped to his back. He made a brief decision that even if he were not to go through with it, there was no harm in seeing if there was some truth to Itachi's tale, by visiting the man in the mountains of Lightning Country.

"Come on. We're leaving for Lightning Country."

Suigetsu spluttered, turning to see Sasuke's retreating back."What? But- _Lightning Country_-"

Karin pinched his arm. His protests stopped with a huff, and they began to walk a few paces behind.

* * *

Ayame sipped her tea quietly, looking quietly out of the window onto the new wooden buildings across the road. It tasted bitter, the aroma and taste sharp, simultaneously- at once. She reached out for dango, fingers searching for the wooden skewer, only to find her hands fondling mere air. The girl frowned, a tired, unusual expression contorting her features. It was early morning. _Maybe 7._

"Ayame-chan!"

A keen voice, smiling though she'd not yet turned her head to see. Ayame felt warm at the voice; a comforting, warm voice that penetrated through her dire mood. She looked up at the boy- near man -and felt happy to see Naruto, though his face had slimmed out and he was no longer a chubby fox child with a bad habit of eating a heinous amount of ramen. "Good afternoon, Naruto-kun."

Naruto had a quieter smile than she'd expected to see, but his eyes were pleasant and bright. As they always were. "I'll buy you some more dango. On me."

"Oh, you don't need to-" He'd left, and Ayame found herself sighing, a content smile on her face. He walked to the counter, before the old woman at the till grinned happily, chatting to him animatedly. Ayame caught brief mentions of "the hero of Konoha" and knew that he'd not had to pay anyway. Perhaps he'd known.

Naruto arrived back, a tray full of dango. He was blushing and smiling sheepishly, putting the dango down and sitting before rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, she said some stuff about what I did for the village. So, it's on the house. I just couldn't convince her..." He laughed. Ayame thought he looked sad for a moment, but the thought fell through as he picked off a whole stick of dango at record speed. She laughed.

She winked at him, taking a stick of dango. "She's right, you know, Naruto-kun." She swallowed one whole. "You've grown into a fine young man! All the villagers owe you for what you've done. So do I."

"Na, Ayame-chan! Don't be so silly. It wasn't just me. If it hadn't been for what Ero-sennin had done..." Naruto fell quiet, chewing on the end of the dango skewer. "I wouldn't mind not being the hero if he was here instead." _If he was here with me, to say well done. To call me a brat._

Ayame looked down, fingers tracing the rim of the cup of green tea. "I'm sure he wouldn't want you to think that." She felt as though she was treading on eggshells. It wasn't as though he would ever lash out at her, but Ayame knew well that everyone reacted differently to death- and, of course, Naruto hadn't ever known the trauma of losing his parents.

The blond said nothing for a few minutes, and the air around Ayame was not oppressive but melancholy; a sadness she shared with him, having seen the two sat at Ichiraku Ramen talking loudly and thoughtfully about Uchiha Sasuke and Itachi one particular time. She felt the blow as Naruto did, seeing that he was almost a father figure to Naruto. One the young shinobi had belatedly made fun of and laughed at, but had looked up to. They'd travelled the world together; Ayame had not expected anything less than this consuming sadness. She placed a soft hand on Naruto's calloused ones that were pulled together and fumbling in sorrowful thought. Ayame looked at Naruto with not pity but a kind reassurance.

"Jiraiya-sama died for Konoha." Ayame put two fingers beneath Naruto's chin. "You protected it with your life, exceeding his legacy. As a teacher, I'm sure he dreamt of the day you'd precede him, becoming a great ninja and hero. You've done just that, so don't sully his memory with this sadness and regret." She stood up, smiling and wiping down her work clothes. "Otou-san wants me to go pick up some new equipment. I took a bit of a... self-authorised break, so, I'll see you, Naruto-kun." Ayame smiled, cleanly swiping another stick off the tray as she left.

Naruto found himself eating a whole tray of dango alone, deep in thought.

* * *

"I have 2 years. Daisuke-san said it will reduce... so, what? A year? 6 months?"

Naruto shifted his seating on the step, putting his head onto his jaw. "I've thought for the past day. I have to meet Sakura-chan and Shikamaru for a mission in an hour... I don't know whether to tell anyone. Would it make a difference?" Naruto paused, weaving his hands together and resting his forehead on them, eyes facing the ground. "How will I bring Sasuke back in 6 months? I won't ever be Hokage, will I?" He laughed, the happy sound dripping with sarcastic irony. "Na, Otou-san. You took my only dream for yourself."

There was a long, heavy silence, until Naruto sat up, stretching. He stood up and traced his father's name on the memorial stone.

"I considered going to the Hokage mountain to speak to you. But you're more than a Hokage... coming here reminds me of the sacrifice you made for everyone. You were a legend, but so much more than that, too. What would you have done now? I feel... I feel like I should just carry on being how I am. Saying I'll beat this disease. Everything else in my life... I could beat back with training and 'my ninja way'. But..." Naruto sighed deeply, staring intently at the slow-moving clouds. "There is basically no chance I'll manage it. I can't escape this... dying without fulfilling my dreams. No amount of training will save me."

"For a while I wanted someone or something to blame. Apparently, it all came from that arm injury I got from my original rasenshuriken. Cellular damage... and the Kyuubi's chakra has done nothing but aggravate it. At first, I blamed you. Maybe if you hadn't sealed the Kyuubi in me, I would be fine. I blamed everyone else. Myself. Sasuke. In the end... there is nowhere to put the blame, and... it's not easy for me to accept that there's nowhere for all this anger to go."

Naruto stood straight. "I have to go now. It's late, and I have to meet with Shikamaru and Sakura-chan. I have no options. If I won't live to bring world peace... I'll have to bring Sasuke home. If I make him see Konoha for what it is, and to see the plans of the Akatsuki... perhaps he will stay. Perhaps Sasuke will be the pioneer of..." -he sighed, looking into a patch of bright blue is a cloudy sky- "...world peace."

The orange ninja nodded to a man unseen but listening, before leaving for the gates of Konoha.

Walking around Konoha was something Naruto thought he would never get used to now. The pathways he'd known well were gone, the new ones haphazard between building materials and an onslaught of ninja and then empty stretches of untouched land. It was a strange sensation, and something that he could not quite adjust to – and he was sure he never -

"Naruto!"

_Ah, yeah. _

Sakura waved, and Naruto quickened his pace to a light jog. "Ah, sorry I'm a bit late. Lost track of time." Naruto looked at Shikamaru sheepishly. "Uh, I wasn't listening much at the briefing. So... what are we doing exactly?"

"We're walking to Lightning Country," Shikamaru said. "On foot. The whole way."

Naruto's face dropped. "I thought we were, like, you know... getting a lift? Or at least running through the trees? Why are we walking, again?"

He felt a flat, firm hand come in abusive contact with the back of his head. Sakura scowled. "Because, moron, we're going to be disguised as civilians. Kurenai-san went to the effort of teaching me some minor genjutsu that will be virtually undetectable. It requires natural chakra control to do this, though-"

"-_whaaaat!?_ Sakura-chan, you know I suck at-"

"-which is why I'm doing yours in place for you, idiot. Honestly, Naruto, you have no patience." Sakura huffed, folding her arms before continuing. "Anyway, I have to admit that two men and a girl is a pretty normal shinobi set up. If we don't have a good excuse for being in this arrangement, we'll get figured out instantly."

Shikamaru tapped his foot irately. He brought his lazy, sarcastic eyes to Naruto's. "So, on this trip, you'll be a dying mute, Sakura's your lover, and I'm your doctor."

The blond felt his heart drop to his stomach. _Did Obaa-chan tell him about my illness?_

Shikamaru continued. "The genjutsu will include creating wasted away vocal chords, and your illness." His eyes went straight through Naruto's own, like senbon and just as sharp. He felt cornered, but he knew that was the Nara's way of telling Naruto that he knew. Though, how the Uzumaki felt about that was uncertain. "For any inquiring people. We thought your natural closeness with Sakura might make the romance a bit easier. It'd be more logical if Sakura was the doctor and I was your lover, but-"

"-eh!? _Shikamaru-_"

"-we thought you might be a bit reluctant," Shikamaru said. "Troublesome."

_-wait, was it Daisuke? Nara... Daisuke? Did he tell him?_ Naruto shook his head, pressure building up in his temples._ Probably..._

"Anyway, the most important thing is the mission itself, Naruto." Sakura's tone was as scolding as always. "Shishou would not send you, of all people, out unless it was important. So take this seriously!"

Shikamaru lit up a cigarette, and Naruto wrinkled his nose at the smell. He'd always hated the smell of tobacco.

"The aim is to retrieve a lost scroll from Lightning Country. It contains a few Konoha specific kinjutsu, which wasn't a problem since the recipient gave his word he'd keep it to himself- Hokage-sama seemed to trust that." Shikamaru tapped his foot and blew out a soft plume of smoke. "But apparently, at the time, he was decrepit with age. She reckons he may have died, and that, of course, the scroll is unattended to. We're on good footing with Kumogakure at the moment, and stealing something from their neighbours is less than ideal, so we need to be careful. Our odds are better if we behave as civilians and take it during the night, leaving a day or so later so as not to arouse suspicion."

Sakura turned to Naruto, smiling. "I'll begin the henge for us now, then. Shikamaru, are you okay doing your own?"

"_Aa_."

Sakura made a couple handseals, before closing her eyes and focusing chakra. Naruto watched her hair turn to a slightly dark, mousy brown, eyes a light blue and figure voluptuous yet entirely unsexual, maternal even. Naruto looked at his hands; he had become slightly lighter skinned and his hair was a deep, greyish black, pulled back into a plait. He could not see his eyes. Shikamaru was older, donning many small bags as a doctor would. A trench coat filled with pockets, bulging. Thick rimmed glasses, loose brown hair and light eyes of indistinguishable colour.

Naruto felt his cheeks for the scars of the fox. There were none; only the gaunt, sick cheeks of a dying man. He nodded to Shikamaru. "Let's go, then-" he stopped. His voice was exhaustingly rough, and sounded croaky and pathetic. Sakura nodded at him, smirking slightly.

"No talking from now on, Naruto. In about an hour, you'll be completely muted. Kurenai-san taught me it, so if you need my attention, just tap me. If it's terribly important, write it down in this notebook." The rosette handed him a small lined notebook with a pen attached to the spine.

"I almost forgot." Shikamaru handed him a necklace, with a ring hung on it. He predicted Naruto's assumption before he even heard it.

"You're proposing to me?!" Naruto's voice was no more than a croak.

The Nara let out a deep breath. "No. Put it around your neck. The insides of the ring are covered with chakra seals." Shikamaru nodded at Naruto, and the blond quickly put it on. "It will temporarily tighten your seal and hide the Kyuubi's chakra. Our chakra can be passed off, but yours isn't just something we can talk away. So, _that's_ necessary. Let's go."

Naruto nodded, and Shikamaru began walking first, his slow steady walk leading the trek to Lightning Country.

* * *

"3 weeks."

Sasuke had expected as much. "It will be complete?"

Nod.

"Tell me what it is." Sasuke paused. "I have valuables. Money, power. I just need to know what this is. Before I activate it."

The blind man had long grey braids aside his face, his odd eyes weary and glassy as he spoke to Sasuke. He felt beyond uncomfortable. Despite his superior eyes, this man, though unseeing and harmless, had a cold gaze that shook him to his core. Sasuke'd known before he'd asked this man would have no interest in anything he could give. It was disconcerting and unnerving.

The_ fuuinjutsu_ master shook his head, hands splayed across the scroll as his fingertips traced minute, careful etchings of kanji and seals. "I knew Itachi well. Many of these techniques are my own." His eyes were so alarmingly blank, completely seeing. For a moment, Sasuke did not believe he was blind. "His every word was as methodically considered as his life. If Itachi did not inform you, then neither shall I."

The man read a language with his hands that Sasuke could not dream of truly understanding. Each_ kanji_, though familiar, was painted carefully but fluently, in an order that dictated a divine intervention, a command through mere words to the world around. And this man could read it through mere etchings, through the slight difference in texture. The Uchiha could not dream of what lifestyle could possibly teach a man such perception, such precision and talent. Or perhaps, more likely, he loved the words, he loved _fuuinjutsu _and it was second nature to him as breathing was to a man, or walking on water to a shinobi. This man could read the etchings, the slavish calligraphy of Itachi's first and final work, the masterpiece that was unnamed and purposeless to Sasuke but the world to his brother.

And what a masquerade this masterpiece had been. Not Sasuke, nor his family, nor anyone he suspected, had caught wind nor sight of this massive task. A life long masterpiece that he could not complete; that he had lain upon Sasuke's shoulders instead, in hopes that he would take up his mantle and complete his final wishes.

The Uchiha felt an almost unknown feeling of apprehension. Worry. Terror, terror – no, just a monstrous feeling of helplessness. _I have no idea what this is._ Sasuke's fists clenched. _I have no inkling what this will do. It took years for Nii-san to come _close _to finishing this._

_ Do I_ really_ want to finish this?_

The braided man looked up, as though sensing Sasuke's discomfort and tension in the air. He sat back.

"I could never have created anything of this magnitude." The fuuinjutsu master withdrew a calligraphy brush from a small, cramped pot full of them. The brush itself was small. "Your brother was a one of a kind."

He reached into a small draw to bring out a tray containing a suzuri and a sumi ink stick. Sasuke watched intently as he picked up the _sumi _ink stick as he laid down the_ suzuri_ in front of him. With a few droplets of water, he poised his hand, holding the ink stick in a peculiar but tight and firm manner. Waiting. For what, Sasuke was unsure, but then in but a moment he struck, his wrist twisting and grinding. The movement revolved around his wrist, as droplets of ink formed. Quicker, then slower, then in a circular motion but then back and forth. The noise both gentle and grating, the act both tedious and of the highest calibre of skill. Artful, yet mediocre. Sasuke could not, for the life of him, interpret the mans method. It was as though it was conducted by another being, a perfectly organised dance that tugged at time itself. Sasuke felt as though he was a voyeur, criminally entranced by the intimate exchange between lovers.

The man abruptly brought his head up, his eyes a bright, sharp and familiar blue. Sasuke refused to avert his eyes in shame.

"_Sumi-e _ink. 'Mono-chromatic'," the_ fuuinjutsu _master said, eyes staring straight into Sasuke's. "Would you agree, Sasuke?"

Though the Uchiha heard the question clearly, he knew that indeed, it was simply something for him to think about - though he wasn't sure how – and not something he should attempt to answer. He uncrossed his legs and stood up, bowing slightly – something he would have not have dreamt of if it were not this man. A man that commanded respect, even from him. "Thank you," Sasuke said curtly, before quietly leaving. He heard the grinding of the ink stick once again, and he shut the door, briefly remembering Naruto's bright blue eyes.

* * *

_Dear Ero-sennin,_

_ We're on a mission to go get some scroll back. It's the sacred scroll of sealing, and as it turns out, Obaa-chan managed to gamble it away. I'm not sure I trust her to rule the village. But that's the scroll that allowed me to become a ninja. I ended up on Team 7, and now I've saved the village. I feel like I'm a kid again..._

_ We're heading to Lightning Country. I'm disguised as a "dying mute". I think Shikamaru was trying to hint that he knows. Great. _

_ The closer we get to Lightning Country, the more sightings of Sasuke I hear about. It's making me itch to go out looking for him when we get there. This is an important mission, but what if I see him? There's no way I'm gonna let him go. Then again, my chakra is sealed, and I can't even speak. He'd see through the disguise genjutsu, though. _

_ I really do look sick, as this weird man I'm disguised as. My cheeks are all thin, my eyes bulging and my bones stick out. I feel sick too. I hope I won't look like this when I get really sick. That'd be really crap..._

_ I feel like this mission is a total waste of time, but I don't even know what to do yet. Where to go, what to do. I need to find Sasuke. I need to bring him home. I don't think I can pass up this opportunity if it does come – not for any stupid ass scroll._

_ Wish me luck, Ero-sennin. Hope you're relaxing in the women's bathhouse of Heaven._

_Naruto_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'll update soon. Please review with some constructive feedback so I can make the next chapter even better! **


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I updated relatively soon... haha :| Ok, maybe not, but I really did try my best. Some of this chapter annoys me a bit, but I hope you like it. The proper plot has not started yet. It will start very soon. I hope you enjoy! I'm just sort of fucking with the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto atm. Because it's easily the coolest part of Naruto for me. Enjoy! (also, I cant bold the authors notes. i don't know why. im tired. sorry.)

* * *

The night fell quickly for Sasuke.

He'd not moved. Suigetsu, Karin and even Juugo had mentioned something to him at some point today. He didn't bother registering it. Thinking about it. He had a lot of things to think about that were not Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo. Mainly Itachi, and a couple other fleeting thoughts.

No-one had even come near the cave they were staying in. True to the Juugo's word, the cave was shallow but large enough – and dark enough to accommodate them. It was also relatively clean, and setting up camp had not been problematic. The small town of Chiro was a mere 2 miles away, and from Sasuke's view from the camp on the side of the mountain, it was clearly visible. But they were far from any public path, and it was an entirely civilian town. He had sat down to polish his blade, and had found himself unmoving for the entire day. Madara would surely be curious, but Sasuke had no interest in him. Even revenge on Konoha had been put on hold – for this scroll, the final writings of his brother. His brother came before himself, before Konoha, before everything in this life and the next. Itachi had asked Sasuke to leave Konoha be, but the younger Uchiha knew that was a kindness Konoha did not deserve. Now that Itachi wasn't here to save Konoha – like he always had been – Sasuke refused to let them lick their wounds before he cut off the head.

Sasuke refused to let himself think about it in depth. Sasuke refused to let himself think about the people waiting for him.

The town was a harmless-looking thing. No particularly large buildings – it was distinctly traditionally styled, with no paving on the roads and gently sloping civilian roofs. Like many Sasuke had seen before. Indistinct. A mere statistic, an insect in his palm that he could crush quickly and inconsequently. He'd once thought something of such meaningless murder. What of it now? Sasuke was unsure.

Lightning Country was wonderfully mountainous. Chiro's only source of tourism was sightseers, travelers that came to see the fantastic mountains and valleys around the village. The mountain that they had made camp on was a smaller one, and much less impressive than the rest. Sasuke doubted anyone would bother with this one. Too steep to take a gentle stroll up, but not impressive enough to be worth it.

He faintly heard Suigetsu stoking the small fire behind him, the noise of crackling and shuffling wood. The sun was setting quickly, gentle amber sunbeams pouring down the valley, the fantastic shadows cast by weary-looking boulders and cliffs outlined with a sharp but gentle red, staining green grass magnificently crimson. Careful sanguine cliff sides, until the red faded at the top to reveal a bloody orange. Orange, a sweet, hopeful orange that stained each rooftop, the shadows and soft orange strokes making the town seem like a far away painting that would become but a mere expressive mass of careless hue if he got too close. It was a train of thought that made Sasuke feel nothing; orange. A colour he was so tired of.

Suigetsu was too close.

"Na, Sasuke."

He had no intention of replying, but Suigetsu knew he was listening. "Konoha was destroyed by Pain, when he tried to collect the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Though the kid caused him a lot of trouble, I heard that in the end, he was talked out of it." Sasuke heard Suigetsu lean back. "Must be some guy, to talk someone out of their hatred."

_Yeah,_ Sasuke thought, resisting the urge to rub his temples.

"Sasuke-kun?" She reached for his shoulder, but Sasuke turned his head to Karin with a gaze so cold that she retracted her hand instantly. "I, ah... I'm going to go down to the village and grab a few necessities. If there's anything you need..."

"Water. Get me 5 litres."

"I'm not carrying back 5 litres of water for just _you,_ idiot!"

"Well if you're going to be such a_ bitch_ about it-"

"Ink," Sasuke said abruptly. He turned to Karin, who nodded quickly and put a dark cloak on before making her way down the haphazard path they had made.

Suigetsu sat beside Sasuke, crossing his legs and scratching the side of his jaw. "What do you want ink for? Something about that seal, huh?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"Did you ever know that kid- Naruto, was it? He's around your age..." Suigetsu grinned at Sasuke a moment. "Though, you'll just be killing him too, eventually, right?"

* * *

"Visitors, huh? From where?"

Shikamaru bowed deeply, fixing the glasses on his nose in a professional manner that irked Naruto as something Kabuto would do. He shuddered. "Konohagakure. I'm Nara Daisuke, a civilian doctor, and this is Haruno Yumeko and Koichi. Koichi is currently from a cerebral destructive disorder." Shikamaru brought a realistic seriousness and sombre mood to his tone. "His vocal muscles have begin wasting – the next affects will be bodily failure, inability to focus eyesight, etc. Whilst he still has his eyesight, he has requested to see the beautiful sights of Lightning Country. He had thought he had plenty of time to come here when he was older, but..." The Nara let his eyes look to the floor. "He and his wife want to stay here for just a week. We won't intrude on your village any longer than that. I'm just here in case of any complications."

It wasn't particularly hard for Naruto to act as though he was upset to even hear those words, especially when he was actually being crushed by the horrendous reality that he was, indeed, dying. He let his eyes shine with unshed tears, and Sakura grab his hand in a subtle but affectionate reassurance. It worked, and the on-duty guards nodded; the three of them passed through without incident.

The town was tiny, but dense. Filled with small, cute houses, with wildflowers hung in shabby-chic baskets outside of their homes, the main square filled with market stands, most being run by kindly old ladies. There were a couple kenjutsu stands filled with well-crafted swords, the men running them scarred and rugged but a strange kind of handsome. Though it was not a shinobi town, Naruto supposed, that wouldn't stop a few samurai from passing by and picking up some weapons. They looked as though they were retired, but they still had the harsh, unforgiving faces of men who had locked eyes with war.

It was harder than Naruto had thought, maneuvring through the waves of civilians and children he nearly stood on – especially when he often got a glare for being rude, when he couldn't reply. Being a mute was so difficult, not only because he was an avid conversationalist but because he couldn't do basic things. Like express difficulty, apologise for bumping into people, ask for things without pointing – it was so much harder than he had first anticipated, something he only realised now. They had stayed in an inn on the way here, but he'd had no involvement in the booking of the room. Thankfully, he'd fallen asleep before Shikamaru had finished his strategic considerations and sent them off with a messenger bird – successfully avoiding any kind of confrontation. Naruto felt like a coward, but he honestly had no idea what to say to him. He didn't know what he was doing himself. His morals had failed him. Shikamaru probably knew that too – otherwise, he might've made a greater effort to try and speak with him.

"Koichi," Sakura said, gently drawing him out of his thoughts. "Koichi, there's a ramen stand over there. I'll buy you some miso, while I look around." Naruto knew she'd seen the stands filled with gorgeous hand-crafted ornaments and jewellery, and nodded eagerly; maybe the ramen would taste different. She nodded, leading him arm-in-arm over to the stand, before speaking clearly yet amiably to the strict looking man running the stand ("One miso, please. Extra pork."), handing him the money before smiling gently - leaving, weaving amongst the throngs of people. He did not recognise her instinctively, but Sakura had a way about herself that made her smile distinct from any differences in genetics. Maternal – caring. That was what Sakura was; what she always was. Gentle.

An enticing aroma came from the bowl the man pushed towards him, and he tried to utter a thank you – feeling like a fool for even bothering – before taking a pair of chopsticks, splitting them, mouthing an "Itadakimasu!" before shoveling food into his mouth. He was an expert at it now – the meat was succulent, the food salty but not too much. It was unlike Ichiraku Ramen, however, because the food had vegetables that he'd not even seen in the food back in Konoha; ones that he'd not even seen, cuts of plants he assumed must have been cut and taken fresh from the wild. He appreciated the difference; it gave the food a slight tang, spice that he could not name but felt sweet but tingling on the tip of his tongue. Tastes he did not expect to appreciate, but did. Though Naruto couldn't say he had a preference – they were just_ different _– he looked up at the chef, and taking out his notepad, scribbled a quick note._ That was fantastic. There is no ramen like this in Konoha,_ he wrote._ How do you make it?_

The chef's voice had a strange lilt to it, that made it more exotic than anything he'd heard. He suspected he was foreign, but from what part of the world, Naruto had no clue. "It doesn't grow in Konoha - not mountainous enough to sustain it, boy." He brought out a small sealed jar of herbs. "It's called hibiscus. I dry it with chilli, before adding honey for taste. It takes a while, son, so take this. You can find the original flower in the mountains if you want to make it yourself."

Naruto found it hard to convey all the different things he wanted to say - ("I couldn't! Surely this is hard to prepare?") but chose instead to nod thankfully, putting his hands together and bowing his head, before taking the small jar of herbs. Dried petals, it was clearer now; stained red from chilli, drops of honey on the side of the jar like the dew of morning.

The man leaned forward, eyes dark. "A few petals will do for a bowl. Tear them up if you want the taste to go through the whole dish, and put it in during cooking if you want. You can put it on last, though. It's down to preference." He took Naruto's bowl, cleaning it absent-mindedly. "What brings you to Chiro?"

_To see the mountains and valleys before I die._ It was not entirely a lie.

The chef nodded, eyes sympathetic yet somehow unpitying. "People go up to the highest mountains for the view. It's a broad view of the world, but before you go up there, the smallest mountain is the best for a view, in my opinion. The village looks small, the mountains look massive, and the stretch of land beyond that – the sunset there is magnificent. You're not a giant, but you can see everything. I might just be an odd one son. There's no footpath... but it's worth your while." Naruto briefly heard the clattering of bowls and plates. "Be on your way. Don't spend your days speaking to a boring man like me."

Naruto laughed, the amused smile coming across even without the sound. The chef nodded, before turning around and cleaning once again. He left the stand, tucking the small jar into his pocket as he scoured the crowds for Sakura's unfamiliar hair and face. Naruto found her soon enough, as she wasted an unholy amount of money on a stained glass dragon necklace. Her self-reassuring protests to Naruto were distant ("You'd probably not find anything like this back in Konoha _anyway-_") as he scoured the horizon for that mountain. It was off-path, a couple miles down the way they had came, a troublesome looking mountain to climb, filled with bushes and cliffs and boulders.

"-Koichi?" It was hard to respond to that name. He looked at her. "Were you listening? This is Momoko-san. She sold me this beautiful necklace!" Naruto felt her elbow digging into his side, hard. He smiled, attempting to utter words before feeling stupid for trying (again). He held out his hand, and her wrinkled, hands shook his with a grip firmer than he'd expected. Sakura brought her gaze to his. "She's the counsel for the daimyo's daughter."

"Can this young man not speak?" Momoko's voice was husky with age but clear. She shook her head, white strands brushing the sides of her face. "What a poor soul. You have such bad luck, boy. Come with me – it is the job of my daughter to help people like you." The woman tapped a man with a kenjutsu stand next to her ("Mind my stall, please?") before walking slowly, steadily, out of the square with the two of them in tow. They reached a beautiful, large home, the door of beautifully carved mahogany and stained glass and the beams holding up the porch of the house made of the same wood. It had no upstairs but a beautiful garden and an acre of grass – easily the largest home in the town, though Naruto supposed that was no surprise; the daughter of a daimyo was technically a princess. It was out of place, but not overly lavish. The home still had a cute feel to it.

The old woman opened the door, not bothering to knock before calling in. "Aeri-sama? Aeri-sama, are you home?"

"What is it, Obaa-san? I'm trying to get ready-"

A princess indeed. The daughter of the daimyo was indeed beautiful, with long blonde hair in beautiful curls and dark eyes. She wore a long blue dress, embroidered with gold patterns. It was sleek and silky, and the material continued to the floor, and to her wrists as well. Naruto found himself captivated by the girl – she was just as striking as her clothes.

"Who is this?" Naruto found himself wincing. She certainly didn't sound appreciative of his company.

Momoko tutted. "Haruno Koichi. A visiting civilian, from Konoha. We're on good ground with them, you know-"

"Yes, I know." The girl sounded exasperated. "I just don't care. I'm not making friends with people because of where they're from. Get that into your head, lady."

"He's visiting," Momoko said, her tone biting. "To see these mountains before he passes away from an illness. Be civil, Aeri-sama." Ah, yes, Aeri – that was her name. It sickened Naruto to hear the old woman convincing Aeri with pity for him. Pity – the more time went by, the more Naruto was sure he'd be constantly irate if he told his friends about his illness. Pity, pity, pity.

Aeri huffed. "I don't care if he's sick or not. What do you expect me to do for him?"

That was more like it.

Though he heard Momoko scolding the girl, and saw Sakura twitching with irritation, Naruto laughed. It was soundless, but he laughed, smiling wide and genuinely. What a girl, to not give a shit whether he was dying or not.

"What?" Aeri said, irritated. "What's so funny?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly. "I think he just thinks it's funny that you don't care whether he's dying or not. He gets pity from everyone – it makes a surprising change."

Abruptly, Naruto held out his hand to the princess. She looked shocked, and Naruto knew she'd been expecting a respectful bow. He could tell from the moment she'd spoke that Aeri was not the sort of person to appreciate overly pretentious greetings and constant 'respect'. He'd assumed she'd enjoy this show of fellowship, and she did, shaking hands with him and smiling. Sakura looked at the two of them, captivated by Naruto's innate ability to enchant people – even without words, it seemed._ He just doesn't change, does he? Something about him... just makes you want to make his dreams come true._

"I'm Aeri, daughter of the Lightning Daimyo. Welcome to my father's village."

* * *

_"I'd never speak to such a moron." That wasn't far from the truth._

* * *

"This is where you'll be staying," Momoko said, pushing open the doors to a lavish inn. Naruto looked at her in surprise. _Why on earth are we being paid for, for one – but why somewhere so expensive too? Are these relations that important?_

He looked to his side, and could immediately see that his two teammates were thinking the exact same, but it was harder to deduce from Shikamaru's constantly blank expression. Naruto would bet his life allowance he already had the whole situation carefully hypothesised, calculated, and predicted. Sakura bowed steeply to the elderly woman. "Thank you so much for your kindness. Do you know what room we're in?"

The woman smiled broadly. "Ask the lady at the desk. We've prebooked a room for you – I think Aeri has taking a great liking to you all, especially you, Koichi-san. It's rare for her. She has quite a temper, you know."

_No kidding,_ Naruto thought, remembering her furious, spoilt rage when they didn't have her preferred type of onigiri for sale. He would have slapped her if it were not for her social standing, and he could safely say it was the same for all of them – Momoko had done it herself, however, standing on Aeri's foot and elbowing her hard.

Momoko bowed deeply, leaving at a leisurely pace. A lady in deep blue and gold clothing came over to them. She was a striking looking woman, with wide blue eyes and long white hair despite her youth. "Welcome to the Cat's Inn," she said, bowing her head. "I believe you three are our special guests. Please come through."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. He turned to Naruto, and he immediately read the Nara's look – even in this unfamiliar face – as suspicious. Shikamaru didn't trust these unnaturally friendly relations they were being presented, but Shikamaru walked in before Naruto did. He pushed back the pleated navy curtains that hung in the door way, and found himself in a beautiful lounge. The seats were quilted, cushioned, trimmed with gold, golden chandeliers hanging above, detailed cat paintings with minute strokes donning every wall. Perfectly set out bottles of liquor at every table, glasses of every size and shape on the tables. Naruto heard Sakura gasp delightedly; the place certainly had a feel he'd never seen before in Konoha. A lavish, modern feel. It felt unfamiliar, and Naruto hadn't ever drank out of anything but a sake shot cup before. Navy, gold, navy, gold – dominated every piece of furniture and every item of décor in the room. It was impressive, and a strange kind of entrancing – Naruto felt too cheap to be in such a beautiful room. The liquor, again, was something he wasn't used to drinking at all. Then again, Naruto didn't remember drinking anything but sake.

The woman span, elegantly picking up a glass and pouring red liquor into it. She walked – almost like a gliding motion – over to Naruto, putting her red lips on one side of the glass as she held it to his mouth. She laughed, blue eyes sparkling. The Uzumaki saw Shikamaru's eyes narrow to the side; he doubted the Nara would touch a drop of alcohol this evening if he had any choice in the matter. Sakura, on the other hand, was utterly captivated by the elegant and sweeping movements of this woman. Every twist of her wrist, bat of her eyes seemed so pre-ordained, it was like watching a ballet; the ultimate show of practice and discipline. The woman laughed, her voice husky but not particularly low.

"Welcome to the Lounge," she said. "I am Setsuna. This is the private house of the Daimyo, reserved for special guests of him and his family. It seems Aeri-sama has taken quite a liking to you three – especially you, Koichi-san. Be careful – she is the Daimyo's daughter, after all." She walked, her hips softly swaying to each side with each stride of her long legs. She stopped in front of the piano, tucked in the far corner. "My partner, Fuumaru, is working behind the bar, and as a waiter. Feel free to request whatever you need from him... Aeri-sama will be with you shortly."

The woman began playing a soft, flowing tune on piano, and Naruto recognised it as jazz, something he'd only heard in the far reaches of his travels. It was well-timed, and the music began softly, and soon, so did her voice. It was husky but smooth, perfectly in tune and sweet to his ears.

_I stare at the stars,_

_ and the sky up above;_

_ and think, what am I -_

_ made of?_

"What drink would you like, sir?"

Naruto found himself again straining to push words out, to speak – only to find he indeed, could not. It was an antagonising notion, and he felt foolish and blushed sheepishly. Fuumaru smiled gently, and picked up a bottle. "I believe you may enjoy our red wine. It's no matter if you do not, however." The man picked up the slender bottle pouring it at a considerable height into a smoothly curved glass. Fuumaru picked a berry from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table, splitting it and allowing it's juice to drip into the glass. Gloved hands placed the glass into Naruto's hands. Naruto took a sip, and it was a lovely taste. Sweeter than any drink, but not sickly sweet more than a generally gentler liquor than the ones he had drank previously. The strong taste of grapes domineered it, but the tangy, strange juice of the fruit Fuumaru had squeezed into it made it so different. Naruto loved it, the taste delightful, and he smiled brightly at the man, who let a slight blush tint his cheeks. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, sir," he said, before moving on to take Shikamaru and Sakura's requests.

_Am I filled with sorrow?_

_ Am I hurt and pained?_

_ or am I filled_

_ with love?_

Shikamaru was drinking another drink, a completely transparent one. Naruto was beyond surprised that he'd decided to drink whatsoever, and he knew the boy had read it through Naruto's expression alone. "I get the feeling there are ulterior motives, but not the bad kind." Shikamaru sipped at the liquor, and the Uzumaki got a strong whiff of something that smelled like strong chemicals and fire. "It would only create more tension if I was to be on edge through the whole thing." Naruto knew that, despite his words, Shikamaru was on edge as could be. The Nara was a born genius; he could sniff out unnatural behaviour from a mile away. They both knew Sakura was the same by the look in her eyes, but she looked frankly delighted with the enchantingly strange room, free alcohol and gorgeous waiter.

_I walk by myself,_

_ on the streets below_

_ and ask every child_

_ I know,_

Aeri walked in, and Naruto knew she had certainly spent her lateness doing something. She looked stunning, hair bundled into a curly mass on her head, beautiful clothes light blue and gold. The woman sat straight next to Naruto, smiling widely. The near-royal girl snapped her fingers, and Fuumaru poured her a strangely mixed cocktail that she had clearly ordered many times before. The demanding attitude she took on irked Naruto slightly, but he said nothing (it wasn't like he could have anyway). She drank the glass cleanly and quickly, licking her lips before leaning far too close to Naruto for comfort. Shikamaru's gaze bored through the back of Naruto's head from his other side; he knew he was watching like a hawk.

"Koichi," she said, the low cut collar of her dress slipping slightly as she leaned forward. Naruto swallowed. _What is she_ doing- "You only have a while left, right?" Her hands began roaming and the boy's head began to spin, even more so from the alcohol in his bloodstream. "I'm sure I can give you the time of your life..."_ Oh, Jesus. Great._ Naruto wasn't saying that he had no interest in women, per se, but it wasn't something he cared about – and this definitely wasn't helping the situation.

She sat back suddenly, her breasts bouncing as she did so, her dress riding up to show a little bit more of her thighs – and she burst into laughter, the loud, cheerful noise reverberating through the whole room and the entirety of the glasses within it. She looked at Naruto, eyes staring straight into his, giggling. "Oh, you look so panicked. It was just an offer. I do owe you, after all," her voice faded to a whisper, "Kyuubi-kun."

_"Do you think tomorrow _

_ will bring sun or rain?_

_ Which one of these _

_ will show?"_

Naruto's breath caught in his throat (_what!?_), and Shikamaru looked just as shocked – which was simply a blank expression, with wide eyes; that was as far as surprise ever really got for Shikamaru. She laughed and leaned back, clicking her fingers to receive another glass of the fruity but strong cocktail. Aeri looked straight into Naruto's eyes, no longer giggling but her eyes laughing all the same. "It's only natural you'd be attracted to me," she said. "After all, I am a cat." She downed the glass in two gulps.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura was seething, anger seeping into her words, her bad temper bubbling to the surface. Naruto winced. His teammate had never had a good patience, especially with things she did not understand.

"I knew who you three were as soon as you arrived," Aeri said, cheeks now flush with alcohol. She meowed, spinning around and laying across the seats, head on Naruto's lap as she looked at his expression. "I'm not stupid. My name is Nii Yugito, and I was the Matatabi Jinchuuriki."

_I can't say good-bye,_

_ to yesterday, my friend,_

_ I keep holding on_

_ 'til the end_

"You were killed by Hidan and Kakuzu." Shikamaru's voice was cutting. Setsuna had not stopped playing. "They took you for extraction, and you died."

Yugito began laughing, running the tip of her finger around the rim of her wine glass to produce an "oo" sound. It was a peaceful noise. "Oh yeah - that," she said. "You three all had a hand in their defeat. In fact, Shikamaru, was it? I heard you defeated Hidan all – by – yourself." She winked at the Nara. "It's impressive, to know that mere human intelligence and wit could overcome the strength of a Bijuu. Who'd have thought?"

_Out of the darkness, _

_ there is no other way_

_ than the light leading to _

_ yesterday_

"But you were killed," Sakura said. "You were taken, and then you died."

"Certainly so."

Sakura's eye twitched with irritation. "So? So, you should be dead. What's with that?"

"Now, that's not a very nice thing to say, now, is it?" Yugito sat up, much to Naruto's relief. "Luckily for me, where they left my dead body was a nice area. The Matatabi was a cat, that I often transformed into. So, when I was left, near death, after the extraction, hundreds of cats came and nursed me back to health. Keeping me warm by curling up on me, licking my wounds... simple things, that allowed me to survive until I was found by Momoko." She leaned on her left hand. "I owe the Kyuubi a favour after you killed Kakuzu, but the Kyuubi served the Matatabi in their previous lives very well. I owe you a great deal of favours."

Naruto did his best to give a look that read 'they didn't have to be sexual'.

"I was already from Lightning, but I had to go into hiding. Luckily, or unluckily – depending how you play it – the Lightning Daimyo had a daughter, who was rather similar to me as a child, that had decided to go become a samurai. She lives under a different alias anyway, so pretending to have 'returned home' was not a far-fetched thing to say, since the whole samurai affair was completely covered up."

_It's there that I'll find_

_ inner peace not war_

_ and dreams that I let_

_ slip away..._

She dropped her legs clumsily on the table, shaking the glasses and bottles and causing a glass to slip off the edge into Fuumaru's grip. He shook his head at her the way one would shake their head at a dog shaking water off his fur. Yugito turned to Naruto, grabbing a bottle of liquor and passing it to the waiter for him to open. "I've heard of your escapades, Uzumaki Naruto," she said, taking back the bottle and taking a long swig. "Saved the whole of Konoha! Tiding over a mighty enemy with mere words. I hear great things each day about you. The tales of your sickness – all lies, no? What are you really here for, Uzumaki?"

Naruto shook his head, before writing quickly onto his notepad, resting the paper on his knee. _We thought my presence might cause problems. But I'm dying all the same._

"A whole team for the trip of a dying man?" Yugito raised an eyebrow, leaning back and folding her arms. "I doubt it, you dirty liar."

_It's the truth. Our Hokage wants us to see someone here as well, but I'm certainly not lying. You'll have to take my word for it._

"Let me guess," Yugito said, letting out a long 'hmm' before giggling. "It's the sealing master! Right?"

Naruto cocked his head at the girl.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips next to his ear. Her breath ghosted over his skin, giving him goosebumps. "Because, I hear you're after that criminal, Uchiha Sasuke. And he was here, just, was it... yesterday?"

_I'll find the joyfulness_

_ I'm looking for_

_way back,_

_in yesterday_

* * *

"Sasuke, someone is coming."

"I know." Sasuke didn't move.

Karin paused, apprehensive. "It doesn't feel like a sensory ninja. If we suppress our chakra and stay quiet, we should be fine."

"Hn."

The soft padding of foot on grass was quiet, but Sasuke knew he was far away. Closer, closer- closer still. It was thudding now, the strong noise of strong shinobi legs slamming against ground. Strong, uphill sprinting. He could hear the heavy breathing now. The gasps for air, the thudding slowing down, and now there was no thudding. They had stopped, panting, coughing, and he heard yet another thud as the man fell to his knees. The tearing of grass. Heavier breathing still. The sky was clear.

"Sasuke? Sasuke!? I know you can_ hear _me, goddammit! Where are you!?"

Suigetsu froze, turning to Sasuke questioningly. The Uchiha gave him a cold stare.

A choked sob. "What the fuck is this? What do you expect me to do, Sasuke?" A strained silence. "Are you doing this just to piss me off?"

Sasuke looked around the cave, the levels of intrigue in his teammates faces on a scale from Juugo to Karin. He had no plans on indulging who that was, in a furious rage above them, and yet he knew they would pester him until he put a sword to their throats. It wasn't all that unnatural, Sasuke supposed, since they knew next to nothing about him apart from his defection from Konoha then Orochimaru, and the events since. He still had no intentions of telling them anything he didn't have to.

"I'm trying my best to figure out what to do. I try my best not to chase you, but you're almost in my grasp – laughing at me. I wish things weren't the way they were. I wish you were still here. You're such a pain in the ass. I have bigger things to worry about..." Sasuke heard Naruto's laugh, his bright laughing despite his obvious distress. The Uchiha knew that what he'd said wasn't true. He seemed to be both the light and bane of Naruto's existence, the weight dragging him down into an ocean of sorrow and the hope that helped him crawl out of it. Naruto cared about him a great deal, and it tugged at Sasuke's emotions in a way that he wanted to remove, to cut out and ignore. He was a dead weight on his ambitions, his duties to his family – something to be removed, eliminated, for him to be cleansed of. Sadly, the situation had not turned out that simple; all of a sudden, the dead last was second – near first – and chasing him, constantly on his tail, and Sasuke hated it, despised it. He wasn't on the same level as someone so pathetic. An Uchiha and a dead last as equals was an idea that made him nauseous. Sasuke gritted his teeth, an action that did not go unseen by his teammates.

"You piss me off so much." Naruto's voice grated at Sasuke's nerves, his tone urging him to go up there and beat the shit out of him. "Revenge is the only thing that's ever on your mind. But when did it consume you, Sasuke?"

_The moment I lost my family. The moment Nii-san passed. It doesn't matter. As long as the name of the Uchiha is cleansed of all sin, of all lies._ Sasuke clenched his fists. _I could go up there and kill him. Stab him straight through the throat, using the element of surprise. He'd never bother me again._

_It would just cause more trouble for me. Retrieval of the scroll. A higher bounty on my head. Going against the Akatsuki. The Kyuubi causing trouble. Konohagakure actively pursuing me._

Sasuke had many reasons not to go after Naruto; none of them were quite right.

* * *

AN: The song Setsuna is singing is "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Rika Muranaka. It's nice, especially the piano only version. The lyrics are simple but cute. I enjoy it. Thanks for reading; will update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: My time travel theory is fucking weird. If Kamui was real, it might well work, though. Actually, no. Not a chance. I'm a stupid fuck. Have you ever read a fanfiction so emotionally brutal that you have become physically STRESSED afterwards? I just did. I'm so on edge right now. I'm like, angry. But not angry. Just angry and jittery and stressed. It's really strange. It's like, midnight. I have an exam in the morning. Also, this chapter is shorter than average. But I'm also pretty sure it came out sooner than average. Either way, shit happens. I'm almost done with the next chapter, so I'll get that up ASAP. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! I hope you like it.**

* * *

Naruto had left after a couple hours.

He'd said nothing more, sitting on that hill. Sasuke could tell he was laying back, staring at the same sky he was. Naruto did not sleep, as far as he could tell, and he left an hour or so before sunrise. The blond had stumbled away, his walk slow and heavy. Not Sasuke nor his team had slept the whole time he was there, though Suigetsu had come close once or twice. It was unsurprising. Naruto's presence had put all of them on edge; it wasn't hard to tell that the boy was a shinobi, and one that knew Sasuke no less- laying right above them.

Once the boy had staggered out of earshot, there was a deafening silence in the camp. Sasuke did not turn from his position looking outwards onto the landscape to see his teammates.

"You knew the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?" Karin asked. Her voice was hesitant, but she'd been unable to contain the question. She'd felt, even beneath the strength of a cleverly done tightener seal, the licking, horrendous chakra that resided in the boy that had sought out Sasuke. Yet, the chakra of the boy was warm, liquid gold that made Karin feel safe even as she merely sensed it's presence. She could not help but think why such a kind, resonating chakra would have any interest in the cold, blackened chakra that ran through Sasuke.

Sasuke said nothing for a minute, before moving slightly. "He's persistent."

Though Karin knew that it was intriguing enough that Sasuke still had old bonds that he had that were still linching him back to them, she knew the question she was pondering the most was why Sasuke hadn't killed the boy, murdered the person so obviously irritating him, cut out his throat and shut him up forever.

For a single moment, Karin thought she felt a flicker of humanity underneath Sasuke's cold, hard chakra, flowing around his channels like venomous sludge. In the next instant, it was dead, and the cave was quiet once again.

* * *

Naruto returned back to the Cat's Inn, knees covered in grass stains and hands coated with mud. He felt stupid for having had such a spontaneous outburst of rage and upset, and the walk back had been long and slow. Naruto didn't know what to do, but when he came back Shikamaru was waiting in reception for him with a lit cigarette. It was late.

"We're sharing a room. Sakura's got her own. Come on." He nodded at Naruto, turning and walking past the receptionist who bowed respectfully as they made their way upstairs. Naruto smiled at the woman as he stepped up quietly. They reached their room, a soft traditional room that had all the features of a traditional japanese home but was decorated with expensive blue silk and trimmer with gold fastenings. Shikamaru kneeled down at the table, settling on a soft blue cushion. Naruto sat down opposite to him, and he stubbed out his cigarette butt on the ashtray. Shikamaru looked him in the eyes.

"Naruto," he said. "When are you going to tell Sakura?"

Naruto flinched. All hope that Shikamaru didn't know was dead.

The boy took out a cigarette, sparking his lighter and lighting the end. "You're really going to hurt her if you don't tell her." He let out a swirling mass of smoke, spinning out of his mouth slowly. "You're getting sick, Naruto."_ I don't think you have long, _Naruto heard in the silence afterwards. He withdrew a page of paper from his notebook and quickly wrote,

_Soon. I don't know what to say._ Perhaps Naruto's biggest fear was disappointing his lifelong promise. No matter how many times Sakura lied to him, telling him that she didn't need that promise anymore, Naruto could never believe her. He had to bring Sasuke home.

If he didn't live to do that...

"Stop putting it off." Shikamaru inhaled deeply on the cigarette. "I'm not going to pity you, because I know that's not what you'd want. But, Naruto..." He blew a ring of smoke, before averting his gaze elsewhere, expression unreadable. "I'll miss you. The news hit me hard. But it will hit Sakura harder. She has to hear it from you first."

_I can't tell her. What do I say?_

"The truth," Shikamaru said. "What else?"

Naruto sighed, the noise a deep puff of air. He leaned on the table, clutching unfamiliar dark locks in his hands as he stared at the table. He nodded at Shikamaru, and they sat in understanding silence as a woman in a blue kimono arrived with sake. They got comfortably drunk into the night, Shikamaru talking briefly about things as Naruto scribbled furiously, his scrawl becoming increasingly illegible until the sun rose.

He would tell her tomorrow.

* * *

Morning came quicker than Naruto would have liked, and he made a soundless groan as he rolled off the bed he had haphazardly passed out on. The floor was also harder than he would have preferred.

"Troublesome." He felt Shikamaru nudging him in the side with his foot.

Naruto dragged himself up, getting changed without paying much heed to Shikamaru at all, mouthing to ask where Sakura's room was before heading there, barefoot, in his civilian clothes. It was only down the hall. He knocked, and he heard a brief shuffling inside of the room.

"Naruto? Is that you?"

It took a moments silence for Sakura to realise the stupidity of her question. She unlocked the door, dressed in a lavish bathrobe. She smiled, opening the door to allow him in. Sakura sat down at her table, allowing Naruto to sit down before she offered him some tea. He nodded, and Sakura made him a small cup of ocha. It woke her up a bit.

"So, what is it you're up so early for?"

Naruto paused, bringing out his notebook and setting it on the table. With downcast eyes, he wrote, _I have some big news for you. So, please don't be sad._

Sakura looked puzzled. "C'mon, Naruto, just tell me."

_It's not that easy for me not to be scared. Sakura-chan, I'm dying. I'm getting sicker by the day. I was predicted by 2 years, but I personally think much shorter than that. Please... please don't be sad._

His requests were in vain. Sakura looked at him, eyes filled with emotions he couldn't even begin to comprehend, tears sliding silently down her cheeks as she closed her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth together. Naruto knew she was choking back sobs, _screams-_

She opened her mouth to speak, but let out a wail instead, a pathetic sob. "Naruto," she whispered. "Oh, Naruto."

Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, tears wetting his shoulder. Sakura was shaking, her hands shaking the most as she clutched to Naruto desperately. It was a solid moment, a moment that was most certainly present, most certainly there. Naruto felt like his whole life was crashing down around him. Sakura's tears made the situation a million times more real. He was dying. Fading. Falling into an ocean covered by a thick layer of ice, and everyone was banging on the ice, trying to break it and begging him to swim up. But it was so cold, his arms were numb, and he could do nothing but sink, like a dead animal, like he was dead already, dead, dead, _dead._

* * *

The next week passed uneventfully.

Taka did nothing more than wait. Waiting constantly for the scroll to be finished. Karin would regularly go collect food and fresh water, and her natural abilities ensured they were aware of any intruders. There were none; Naruto had been the first and the last. Suigetsu had resorted to playing card games with Juugo, but Sasuke had not done very much. Early in the morning, he would get up and train in the woods beyond the mountain, and occasionally Suigetsu would join him. Sasuke knew he couldn't let himself get rusty; it was rare that Taka – or Hebi, as it were – had ever remained motionless, waiting for something, so it was vital that Sasuke did not let himself weaken.

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru had passed the week by walking up Chiro's most glorious mountains and cliffs, looking at the most beautiful views. Yugito had guided them to the most breathtaking points of them all. It was truly impressive, and it did nothing but assist their guise to be doing such a thing. Sometimes, Naruto felt very small and insignificant in comparison to the massive landscapes.

Tomorrow, they would visit the fuuinjutsu master, and that night, if he was alive and incompliant, they would steal it, and leave a few days afterwards so as to appear inconspicuous. Though there were somewhat larger problems at hand, he'd spent more time than he'd have liked to admit wishing that he'd come a day earlier, that the mission had started a day earlier, so that he could see Sasuke, and... well, Naruto was unsure of the details, but he was sure it would have come naturally – even without words.

"The fuuinjutsu master." Karin had walked quickly back. "He wants to see you now, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's eyes did the closest thing to lighting up that Karin had ever seen on the blank-faced boy. It had been a mere week or so, but Sasuke hadn't done much but wait. She was sure that somehow, they were being watched by that Madara person – the single, cold eye of someone all-seeing. It made her feel uncomfortable being in his presence. She'd appreciated this week, though she was sure that now the fuuinjutsu master was done; she'd appreciated the quiet relaxation, as carefully on-edge as they had been. Sasuke hadn't looked peaceful, but he'd looked far less empty than he had beforehand. Emptiness, and hatred. Those were the only two things Karin had ever really seen on Sasuke, especially recently.

What had surprised her was that when Sasuke's friend had arrived, not only had Karin not killed him, she had seen something... else in those eyes, aside from intense hatred, and emptiness. An irritation, almost. It was nothing pleasant, but it was something different. And no one seemed to invoke anything at all, really.

Karin decided that this Naruto boy must have been special. She knew she, Suigetsu and Juugo had all silently concluded that this Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was indeed the one that had saved the whole of Konoha. He was interested in Sasuke, of all people – a mighty, selfless hero, who had saved the entire village and spared even the enemy, and he was looking for Sasuke. Murderer, cold-blooded avenger. She wondered if he knew that Sasuke would never change. He would never become kind-hearted, even if he had once been. Karin knew that Sasuke was empty, his family, his brother, his everything scraped from his insides, leaving behind only a husk of a man; no, a boy.

Karin wondered if this Naruto knew that his friend was dead.

_How sad,_ she thought.

Sasuke took a cloak, and, putting it around himself, began running down the side of the mountain. The rest of Taka took this as a cue for them to do the same, and picked up their belongings and put on their individual cloaks before rushing after him. As they arrived at the home of the fuunijutsu master, just outside of the town, Sasuke turned to them.

"Stay outside. Suppress your chakra."

Karin nodded, and they waited outside. Suigetsu looked at Karin.

"If this seal kills him, what will you do?"

The thought made Karin's blood run cold.

Suigetsu had obviously been studying her reaction; grinning, he shook his head, leaning back. "You're an idiot. Caring about someone like Sasuke." He unscrewed a bottle of water, downing the whole thing in a couple of seconds. "He'll just kill you, in the end."

"Good morning, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded to the man, sitting down beside him. The fuuinjutsu master turned to him, eyes as bright as before. He looked Sasuke dead in the eyes, something Sasuke did not see often – especially in civilians.

"I've finished the seal." The man lifted the massive scroll and gave it to Sasuke. "Your time to complete it is running out. I finished it quickly for that reason."

"What do you mean?"

The man shakes his head. "You'll understand soon, but there was a circumstance that even Itachi could not have predicted." He gave off the same eerie, unnerving aura that he did last time.

Sasuke was irritated by the man's steadfast decision to not divulge any kind of information at all.

"Your brother... was an interesting boy," the man said abruptly. "Always thinking of you. Above all else."

Sasuke felt sick, his stomach turning. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about his brother's sacrifice. It made him feel sick. As though he was going to throw up right then. His sacrifice, how people had used him as a pawn. The ordeal itself made him feel ill, sick with anger and fury.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, bowing and heading for the door. He stopped before he reached the door, massive scroll in hand, turning to the wrinkled, aged figure. "What is your name?"

The elderly man grinned, a surprisingly kind smile coming across his face. "I'm afraid that's another boring story, child. Best of luck, Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke had lain out the scroll end to end. It was very long, and Suigetsu let out a whistle. "What a pain in the ass. Can you imagine writing this much crap? I'd rather die."

The Uchiha took a glance at his team. He turned to them. "Get down the mountain. We don't know what this seal might do."

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun." Karin turned to leave, Juugo and Suigetsu to her side.

"Wait."

They looked at Sasuke, and the youngest living Uchiha descendent nodded his head at them. "Thank you."

Sasuke didn't need to say anymore for them all to understand what he meant. That he was giving them an honest, genuine thank you, in case he never saw them again. They nodded back, Karin giving him a blushing smile and Juugo giving him a small, kind grin. He'd expected the most animated response from Suigetsu, but the boy nodded solemnly and said, "It's nothing."

They descended the mountain, and Sasuke felt a strange sort of longing seeing them go.

Before he could think about it, Sasuke cut his finger of blood and placed it on the largest kanji of the seal, feeding in a decent amount of chakra. A fantastic, spider-web like network of illuminations came from it, and then a small scroll appeared in the centre. The Uchiha opened it, and recognised his brother's fluent, but perfect handwriting once again.

_"I am glad you decided to complete the seal, Sasuke._

_ This was the hardest thing I ever did. To do it, I had to make a consistent theory about time. The theory was, naturally, that time was not a flowing river, but rather an ocean full of currents. Multi-verses. Yet, I discovered that time is indeed space. And to travel within it, you cannot simply travel quickly- though that would take you forward in time, it is sadly impossible. I deliberated about this for a good amount of time._

_ I treated time like a material, and indeed, if you run a needle and thread through bunched up material, you will end up much further in time than your starting point._

_ To travel backwards, of course, you may theorise you cannot go any slower than simply stillness. This is a natural law, and therefore one cannot go backwards in time. It is a simple enough rule, but not one I intended to obey._

_ I decided that since one cannot go backwards, we will simply bring time forwards. I use 'simply' loosely... this was not a simple task._

_ I had to stretch out time whilst manipulating it so the perpetrator remained outside of time, in an isolated stretch. Easier said than done, however I discovered a way in which to manipulate seals to replicate the separate dimensional jutsu – Kamui – that the Sharingan perpetuates on victims, or objects. Such is a fascination of Uchiha Madara, who manipulates this jutsu in a fanatical way. You must first isolate a person, and then move time._

_ As you can imagine, this requires a colossal amount of chakra. I have accounted for this as well._

_ It is all so inanely complex. I spent years deliberating, and this is the simplest way I can perpetuate these ideas. The sealing itself is beyond human thought. It took years of logical thought to conjure mere lines of this jutsu._

_ You are no fool, Sasuke. By now, you must understand what I intend to do._

_ This is a mechanism by which to travel time. By this, the future will cease to be._

_ The method by which I am accounting for the chakra, is Naruto. The summon for Naruto will activate once the jutsu does, but there is a designated lag time for the two of you to consider your decisions. I cannot designate any more time than an hour, however. After this hour, the time travel jutsu will begin. Also, please remember that killing Naruto will completely botch the whole seal._

_ Naturally, since the new course of time will begin, the future will be erased, and with it, you and Naruto as well. Luckily, this is not an instantaneous process, for though things can be incredibly fast, time is a dense and long presence. By calculations I sought out from ancient civilian libraries, I expect the lag to be 1 day. This is a great amount of time, however this is the amount of time you and Naruto have to perpetuate any kind of change. _

_ You may do anything with this. It is up to you._

_ For the purpose of accurate calculations, the time traveling date had to be pre-ordained. I could not travel to the date of Naruto's sealing, because interfering with the sealing of the Kyuubi could be lethal to the entire seal - as the power of bijuu is something that could be said to exist outside of time and natural logic. An unassailable force, especially since the seal is powered by the power of the Kyuubi itself. _

_ I apologise, Naruto, that I could not save your parents. Know that Minato and Kushina indeed loved you, and they died for that cause. I can only give you thanks, for being the brother to Sasuke I could not be. Though he did not diverge from that path of darkness... you were a guiding light in his eyes. He chose to shut them._

_ I decided to designate the day as the day of the massacre. Please think wisely about your changes and their repercussions. Many things can have massive changes down the line, as time is a fickle thing._

_ One final rule:_

_ Letting your past selves see you will have highly undesirable consequences. More specifically, if they recognise you, it may cause a cerebral paradox once the lag catches up with you. In short, you may inadvertedly kill them. I can only advise you try and keep tabs on where they are, and avoid them seeing you at all costs. Things associated with you aren't likely to cause an issue, however. It is the recognition that is the problem._

_ This is my final masterpiece. Please, repent in my stead._

_ Uchiha Itachi of Konohagakure"_

Sasuke felt himself tackled to the ground in all his shock, an unfamiliar figure sitting atop his gut. Activating his Sharingan, he saw immediately that it was Naruto, looking into familiar eyes as the genjutsu dappled away around him. Naruto appeared to be trying to catch his attention – _what, can he not talk?_ - but Sasuke felt his heart beating so fast. So fast, so fast -

He felt Naruto shaking him. He didn't care. He didn't care at all.

* * *

Naruto wasn't going to lie – the inability to speak was agonising. There was only so much you could really state via physical contact and glares – and Naruto had no fucking idea what was going on.

One minute, he's walking around the calm town of Chiro, and now he was on a mountain, no less, with a hysterical Sasuke. Well, not quite hysterical – strangely absent. He was laying down, silently crying, staring straight through Naruto. He had so many questions, a few being,_ how did I get here, _or _where the fuck am I, _but number 1 being,_ why am I here? _But, obviously, Naruto had mixed feelings about it. This was ultimately one of Naruto's goals. Normally, he would have taken advantage of it – _normally_. Naruto was already feeling the lethargic symptoms of his illness kicking in. The tiredness. It made his heart pound with worry. With upset. Sasuke had dispelled his genjutsu instantly, which was something he was unsurprised at.

He really had no clue at all what was going on. Naruto had no clue why Sasuke would want any kind of contact with him, let alone in this strangely vulnerable state of mind. Naruto had no idea what had just transpired to create such an abnormal situation. It was beyond bewildering.

Sasuke's silent crying stopped, his face contorting into an odd expression as he sat up, looking out at the landscape. Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze and found himself staring at the village of Chiro, and judging by what he could see, determined this was the mountain he had been stood on the other day. Naruto felt indignant, almost, that Sasuke hadn't even left Chiro in the first place. Then again, he might of. Naruto was completely unsure.

The Uchiha made eye contact with him, cold, empty eyes boring into his own as Naruto desperately tried to make any sense of the situation. Sasuke seemed to be deliberating about something or other, before he looked at the scroll beneath him, closed his eyes and said,

"I'm going back in time to change everything. It's a pain, but I guess I'll have to bring you, too."

* * *

**AN: I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that after this chapter, I will finally tie up this part of the plot and will delve into the actual time-travel plot. I hope it will be of epic length, and I hope you will all enjoy it! Feel free to review. I need constructive criticism on my writing style, I'm constantly changing it. Also on the plot. So don't hesitate.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry I updated a couple days late. It's a hefty chapter - well, this is actually only half of it. A lot of shit happens in the next half. I think. Kind of- yes. I'm sorry, I did promise that it would be tied off here, but I'm afraid the word count was just getting stupid for one chapter. So I cut it off here, and I'm going to have a final, sad but... eventful chapter next time. It's half done, so if all goes well it should come out quicker. Enjoy, friends.**

* * *

"Speak."

Naruto shook his head, tapping his throat. Sasuke caught on, working quickly to break the seal on his voice. Now that the Uchiha had calmed slightly, he noticed that Naruto looked... ill. Much more ill than he'd imagined ever seeing the blond. His cheeks weren't quite gaunt but instead just slim, his cheekbones slightly more defined, eye sockets more sunken, everything about him just slightly more sickly than Sasuke had expected. He brushed it aside; it wasn't as if he cared. He just needed him to stay alive, so that the seal could use the Kyuubi's chakra – and then that was that. He could leave Naruto dead in a ditch somewhere while he did his work.

Yeah. He'd do that, if it came to it.

"Sasuke," Naruto said. His voice was croaky from disuse. "What the- How-"

Sasuke didn't even look at the boy. "It's too late. I've already activated the jutsu."

The Uchiha felt Naruto seething beside him, teeth gritted and fists clenched. "How could you- can't you think about someone other than _yourself_, for once?! What if we can't come back? I haven't said _goodbye _to anyone!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, smirking slightly, eyes laughing. He said nothing, but his eyes said enough, and Naruto's fury escalated.

"We_ can't _come back?! Did you think about me at-"

"No." He hadn't. Then again, Sasuke supposed he'd had no clue what this was going to do.

Naruto attempted to punch him, but the punch was easily blocked by Sasuke's palm. _Naruto's weak. Weaker than the last time I saw him. _Sasuke frowned. _What a moron._

The blond let the energy fall out of his punch, letting the clenched fist fall to the ground in front of him before falling onto his back and looking at the sky. "You asshole. You fucking bastard." His breathing was heavy with the adrenaline of pure rage. He looked at Sasuke; he looked no different than before, but Naruto could tell with a mere glance that something was very different about Sasuke. "They'll... come looking for me. Obaa-chan will worry... Sakura-chan..."

The raven turned to Naruto, looking the blond straight in the eyes. Seeing him almost entirely off-guard, eyes dark and gaze purposeful, was odd; the comfort in his posture making Naruto feel on edge. He'd not seen Sasuke so free in years. "Once we've ventured into the past, this world will cease to exist. Everyone you know, everything we've ever known, will die, and then we will, too."

Naruto felt his stomach drop.

"So don't worry about them looking for you."

The Uzumaki felt like his world was collapsing around him. Everything- everyone- the recognition he'd earned, those he loved, the village, everything – gone – it outraged him, angered him,_ infuriated _him –

"_Sasuke-_"

Naruto lunged for Sasuke, fist aimed at his gut, but Sasuke simply grabbed Naruto by the shoulder with his left arm and twisted, pushing Naruto heavily onto his back at Sasuke's side. There was a loud, painful-sounding thwack as the blond hit the ground. Sasuke closed his eyes, before unsheathing his chokuto and poising it at Naruto's neck. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"You don't get it," Sasuke said plainly. "We only have one hour to deliberate before we go. And I need to not kill you before then. So don't make me."

_Uchihas just have this_ charm_ about them,_ Naruto thought dryly.

There was a long pause.

"Stop acting like you're superior to me, you fucking asshole."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his condescending expression reflecting down the length of the blade. "You're rather weak today, Naruto," he sneered. The tone he used made Naruto's stomach turn.

_Shut up, Sasuke. Just fucking shut up._ He knew the Uchiha just got a kick out of seeing him so helplessly angry. Naruto closed his eyes, head spinning as he gritted his teeth and tried to think rationally in any way, shape or form. "So, why exactly am I here?"

Sasuke lowered the chokuto, sheathing it as he stood before the glowing seal. "My brother left me this after his death. I came here to finish it. You're a requirement."

"Your brother?" Naruto interrupted. "But isn't he-"

Naruto stopped the moment he saw the conflicted look in Sasuke's eyes. He knew something had conspired between Sasuke and Itachi that he could never understand – something that had changed Sasuke. How, and for better or worse was hard to determine.

"So, what do we have to do?"

Sasuke sat down beside the seal. "We have one day in the past to rectify all we can, and less than one hour of preparation before we leave."

"You said an hour."

"You started talking," Sasuke shot back before continuing. "I'm not going to repeat myself. The day we're returning is the day of the massacre. We don't have enough time to do everything, so we have to do what we can."

Naruto folded his arms. "So, what about what I want?"

The Uchiha leaned forward, elbows on his knees and chin resting on his interlocking fingers. The notion was so reminiscent of their youth it made Naruto's heart ache with sadness. Sasuke looked as though he was thinking for a moment, before he closed his eyes, smirking, and said,

"Well, I suppose I'll make time for that. Even for an idiot like you."

* * *

Sakura felt a heavy weight fall to the bottom of her stomach.

She'd only left for a second – honestly – and now Naruto was nowhere to be found. It had been half an hour, but Sakura felt a great uneasiness. She'd expected the blond to just wait until she returned, knowing that he had no voice and that general navigation was just of increased difficulty anyway. But he was gone, with no trace whatsoever. Vanished. She'd asked around the ornamental stands he'd been stood by, but it was a strangely busy day and it was as though he'd simply dissipated amongst the crowds into nothing. Naturally, Sakura tried to reason that Naruto was simply browsing or lost, but she couldn't help feel very strongly otherwise.

"Sakura."

She turned to Shikamaru, and winced. The act alone was enough to tell him that Naruto was gone. He sighed, rubbing the sides of his temples as he scanned the surroundings. The Nara popped a cigarette in his mouth, sparking a lighter and letting out a puff of smoke.

"Shikamaru, this is a big deal!"

"So why aren't you doing anything?" Shikamaru took a large puff of his cigarette, his wrist getting knocked by a particularly careless woman. He walked out of the crowd, walking to a side path with Sakura in tow.

"It's not that I don't want to," Sakura said, fists clenched. "He's just not- it's not-"

The Nara flicked his cigarette. "Sasuke."

"What? What are you-"

"I think it's Sasuke."

Sakura closed her eyes. That wasn't a name she wanted to hear right now. Or ever.

She knew Shikamaru was staring straight at her, but she refused to open her eyes. "You knew Sasuke had came here. Did you really think Naruto was going to stand idly by?" Shikamaru said. "He's not that kind of guy. Troublesome."

"Do you really think he would have left without a word?" Sakura said, her words dangerously quiet. "I was with him one second, and he was gone the next! Surely he would have left during the night, well-equipped, or... or something! Not now, not that suddenly! He knew I'd worry! He's not that stupid, Shikamaru-"

Shikamaru flicked the last bit of ash off his cigarette, letting the butt fall to the ground as he crushed it beneath his foot. "Everything you know about Naruto, and everything you know about Sasuke, never quite works when they're together."

_I hate how Shikamaru is always right._ She sighed deeply, looking into the sky. It was darkening quickly.

"I spoke to the guy we're meant to be stealing the scroll from." Shikamaru fumbled for the packet of cigarettes, his fingers meeting nothing but empty cardboard. He looked mildly irritated. "Well, he's not dead. But he told me not to worry about Naruto and Sasuke – told me that it would all be okay."

"So, what? You trust this old guy?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. But he's a well-respected fuuinjutsu master. People only have words of praise for him." He put his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall and looking at the sky. "He helped Sasuke with something. I'm sure of it. Sakura, I think something big is going to happen."

"You're not making any sense-"

And, then the sky began to crack.

Yet, as Sakura and Shikamaru exchanged looks of horror and watched shards of the sky fall down, all she could think was,

_Oh, for God's sake, what have those two done now?!_

* * *

"So, I suppose we just... fix everything?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "We have one day, idiot."

The blond huffed, folding his arms. "It was just a suggestion, bastard!"

Sasuke leaned back onto the grass. His eyes were pensive. "The massacre."

Naruto looked at the boy. As much as he sympathised with the pleasant idea of this Sasuke growing up happily, the matter was not an easy one. Itachi wasn't an easy foe, and Naruto had heard he had been a born genius. Even at this age, he wouldn't be easy to take down without wasting copious amounts of time and causing a ruckus. As far as Naruto knew, Itachi was also psychotic, most likely. He couldn't lie and say that killing Itachi was an easy situation. "Sasuke... Itachi won't be easy to kill. Even at that age..."

The raven closed his eyes. "No. I'll speak with him."

"Speak?" Naruto said incredulously. "You can't just _talk_ him out of-"

"I will." Sasuke's voice was sharp, cold and firm, leaving no room for Naruto to argue.

"What about Orochimaru?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, and Naruto supposed he was weighing up the pros and cons of eradicating Orochimaru altogether. He may not receive the training he did from the snake, but the man was a killer, a perverse man who abandoned and killed ruthlessly and thoughtlessly. A writhing snake indeed, grovelling on his stomach for immortality. Naruto couldn't see the point in it; spending your life struggling to extend it. It was just stupid.

"We can't go all the way to Sound in one day."

"But – but we can tell someone! The Third Hokage was killed by that- that-" Naruto was seething. Even Sasuke understood; he'd felt the Third Hokage's death, perhaps not as Naruto had but he'd been young at the time. Back then, Sasuke had cared. It felt distant.

Sasuke nodded.

"We can tell the Third Hokage himself! He can sort out everything- he'll make sure everything is fine." Sasuke could hear in Naruto's voice that he sounded delighted at the notion of the seeing the man well once again.

But the Uchiha shook his head. "This time isn't enough to decide whether that's a good idea. We don't know whether he'll do what we want." And, more importantly, when he finds out about the massacre, he may order Itachi to go through with it regardless.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Naruto huffed, folding his arms and looking questioningly at him.

Sasuke sat up. As sick as Naruto was, he certainly hadn't let himself become any less of an annoyance. He'd not expected anything less from the Uzumaki's gratingly stubborn nature.

"We tell Itachi."

"-eh!? Sasuke, why do you think Itachi will even listen to-"

"He's innocent."

Naruto went quiet, his angry expression melting into one of shock and a strange, subdued look, his open mouth closing. He broke eye contact with Sasuke, looking at the ground before leaning backwards and closing his eyes. "And this- all of this-"

Sasuke nodded. He understood completely what Naruto had said, though he'd really said nothing at all. He hadn't needed to. The idiot was persistent, naïve and ignorant to everything that happened most of the time, but Sasuke couldn't help but respect his aptitude with those around him.

What Naruto did not say was that Itachi had made this entire seal for him. He'd spent his life works on this, and gifted it to him. Left reality in Sasuke's tiny, tiny hands. Itachi had given him the opportunity to change everything, and given him the opportunity to carve out a happy future for himself, in another time. He was a pacifist by nature, Sasuke knew he could have prevented the coming about of shinobi altogether, killed Madara, benefited the whole of mankind – but Itachi had chosen him.

Itachi had chosen him, over everything else in this world. Sasuke felt his head pounding. Everything felt so distant. _Nii-san, where are you? What do you want me to do?_

"Oi. Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, looked at his skin sallow and eyes sunken with sickness, and looked at his eyes. They pissed Sasuke off; no matter how sick, how dead Naruto was, they were always so bright, so persistent, even when Sasuke couldn't see them and hadn't seen them – they were always there. Strong, bright eyes, that almost made Naruto's irritating and annoying nature seem endearing. It never quite did. Naruto was still nothing more than an itch on Sasuke's flesh. Yet if Naruto was not there to bother him, the people Naruto had "inspired" and "saved" were. Sasuke often thought that he'd never be free of Naruto until they were both dead.

Not that he ever thought about Naruto.

"Usuratonkachi." The insult that had turned into a strange, friendly term of endearment felt alien to Naruto's ears. No one else called him that, and Sasuke hadn't used that name for him in a long time. He laughed.

The two spoke for the rest of the hour, Naruto speaking animatedly and Sasuke as quietly and coldly as usual at first glance, but perhaps his insults softer, kinder, his harsh demeanor less biting and cruel. You wouldn't say that the conversation was that of two ninja who'd fought together on the battlefield their whole lives; you wouldn't say they were best friends. But even if you didn't see Naruto's genuine smile, and even if you didn't see Sasuke's subdued smirks – if you knew Naruto, and you knew Sasuke, you'd know that the conversation went far further than what was spoken aloud. You'd know that Sasuke never smiled for anything, not for anyone. You'd know Naruto never did anything less than his big, confident grin.

No one had put it better than Shikamaru – Naruto and Sasuke were both predictable equations, until they were put together.

* * *

"It's almost been an hour. I don't know what to do! Do I stand up? Sit down? Are we going to fall out of mid-air or land on the ground? Sasuke-"

"Shut up, idiot." The Uchiha took off his jacket. Night was falling quickly, and Naruto felt uneasy as the sky began to darken, a soft bluish gradient stretching across it. Nonetheless, the air was humid, even without the clouds trapping heat within; the sun had heated the Earth and it was still warm beneath Naruto's feet.

"Are you sure about this? All of this-"

"Yes." Sasuke's voice was a brutally cold knife that cut straight through the thick, wet air. Naruto felt overpowered, finding only a little consolation in that he could still fight considerably well if he employed senjutsu. He found himself spurting out words, constant, useless words that just flowed out of his mouth in a substitute for the conversation he knew he'd have to have, though maybe he wouldn't. Sasuke was anything but stupid, and Naruto knew he'd taken one look at him and seen his limp, weak body.

The blond was immensely grateful that Sasuke had not taken advantage of it. It had not gone further than Sasuke's harsh jibe, and as hurtful as it had been – Naruto knew it was Sasuke's way of not asking. Not invading his privacy.

"What if… it doesn't work? Like, we do all this stuff… and the massacre still happens, Konoha is still destroyed, and everything is just… the same?" Naruto's voice was so weak; he felt like a sick child asking about his own death.

"Then it happens." Sasuke closed his eyes, holding the seal.

Naruto clutched the grass beside him, handfuls of wet grass as he pulled it out of the ground and let it fall gently- slowly. _It's a strange feeling, to know that this world is going to die, and we'll be the only things left. No one will remember our world. No one will remember the attack of Pein. No one will remember Tsunade as Hokage. No one will remember any of it. Our world is over, and then, I'll just be a knuckle-headed kid again. The knotting thread of reality completely undone, forever._

"Are you alright, scaredy cat?"

Naruto's eyes widened. _Did Sasuke just make a joke to lighten the atmosphere!? _He spluttered, gritting his teeth. "Are you making fun of me?!"

The raven smirked at him.

In the midst of their quarrelling, Naruto stopped. Sasuke followed his gaze to the sky. In the mighty blue colour, there were cracks. Yes, cracks, fine cracks that spread and let through a blinding darkness like nothing Naruto had ever seen – falling, coming so close, and Naruto felt almost like the air was cracking too – everything was, everything, and then they were just sat, choking, where was the _air_ - "Agh!"

He hit the ground hard.

Sasuke didn't make any noise at all, just wincing slightly as he sat up, and Naruto found himself in a world so surreal he had no idea what he was really doing here at all. Formed of nothing but darkness and cold, unnaturally sharp blocks, the world was just so empty. It made him shiver. The air didn't feel right either; as though it had nothing in it, but was sustaining them anyway.

"How long are we going to be here?" Naruto asked, moaning and looking bored. He couldn't help but feel that it was more out of fear. Naruto hated it here. The air, the atmosphere and uncertainty of it all made it feel as though the ground was going to be pulled out from beneath his feet any minute.

"Time's not really passing." Sasuke smirked at the blond boy as he twitched at the answer. The Uchiha supposed that time was passing here, but really, it wasn't going to be as "long" as it was... minus time? They were going back in time. So this wouldn't take any time at all. It would... give time? Sasuke felt his head aching.

"You know what I mean, asshole!"

"Shut up,_ usuratonkachi_."

Naruto glared, cursing at him beneath his breath. He fell back heavily onto the makeshift ground. He'd felt comfier, but it wasn't as hard as he'd expected. He sighed, staring into the strange darkness above.

"Sakura-chan is dead," he whispered. "Tsunade-obaa-chan is dead, too. Kakashi-sensei. Iruka-sensei. Dead. I'll never see them again."

"You will."

Naruto rolled onto his side, staring blankly ahead. "Are they the same people? I'm a different Naruto. Why are we even doing this?"

The raven looked at Naruto, withdrawing a shuriken and running his finger along the straight yet jagged lengths. "This is our timeline that we are rewriting... they're us." Sasuke understood what Naruto was saying, but the Uchiha couldn't help but note the odd nature of it. That Naruto wouldn't want to help someone. That Naruto would just want to lay down and die. It was a thought that Sasuke couldn't quite accustom himself to, but- no, he was glad. He was glad Naruto would leave him the goddamn hell alone.

A sharp hacking brought him straight out of his thoughts, and his eyes focused to blood, blood on him and blood on the floor and blood on Naruto. Naruto was coughing, throwing up blood, and it was everywhere – spattered all over him and all over his clothes. Sasuke didn't have time to utter anything as he grabbed the blond by the side, laying him on the ground to his side and letting him throw up blood mixed with bile. He looks so sick, his face, his_ eyes_-

"Goddamn- eurgh-"

Sasuke's eyes were cold, sharp, calculating. Naruto smiled.

"I'm just... a bit sick." And Naruto could feel the horrendous acute pains in his stomach, that made him clutch his knees to his torso and grit his teeth. The blond knew that something was wrong with the Kyuubi, something was very wrong with the Bijuu- hacking up more blood-

"How sick?"

The concern in Sasuke's voice was something that made Naruto want to cry. Masked by anger, annoyance, irritation, and yet – and yet-

"I'm dying," Naruto whispered. Sasuke looked at him with a look he didn't want to interpret, and then Naruto was yelling, punching Sasuke in the gut with all his strength, his arm aching as he watched Sasuke heaving for breath, coughing. Naruto face the floor, leaning on arms trembling beneath his weight- the weight he barely had- and he knew, by Sasuke's reaction that the raven had allowed it. Sasuke had allowed Naruto to do that. Out of a mutual understanding, that Naruto hadn't even known of.

"Pity," Naruto said.

"What?"

"You're pitying me." Naruto clenched his fists, staring at the solid metal ground below. "Like I'm pitiable."

Sasuke said nothing, and Naruto lunged for him again, before Sasuke grabbed him by the collar and violently lashed him onto the ground. The blond cried out, but knew that it would leave nothing more than a few bruises. The blond coughed, blood dripping from his lips and sliding into the cracks of his teeth.

"You are," Sasuke spat. "If you're going to be such a dead weight, I'll kill you and leave you here."

The Uzumaki sat up, and, wiping the blood of the corner of his mouth, grinned. It was a bloody grin, with red staining his chin and teeth, but it was bright, just as bright as it had ever been.

"Hmph! Bastard - I'll kill you first!"

Sasuke couldn't help but feel a reluctant relief as Naruto began laughing again.

* * *

"Fuck!"

The fall hadn't been all too great, Sasuke had to admit. Itachi probably hadn't accounted for something as fickle in his calculations, but it had been a relatively large fall. Whereas he hadn't much of a problem dealing with it, the same couldn't be said for Naruto. Dying, indeed; his bones were jutting already. Whatever illness it was, it was draining his muscle mass and fat so quickly.

Said idiot was rubbing his back and moaning, but stopped, sitting up and looking around. It was very late at night- Sasuke would have estimated midnight exactly. The moon was almost as full as he'd remembered it on that fateful night – a memory that still made his stomach churn.

"Sasuke- Sasuke. It's Konoha."

Sigh. "Yeah." _I know. We've planned this for an hour now._

"It was destroyed, but- but look. That's the Hokage tower. There's my apartment complex! Everything- everything is here," Naruto said. His voice was shaky, and the love for his home village was obvious. Sasuke absent-mindedly wondered how one could love such a hateful village.

He took a moment to absorb his surroundings, noting that they were on the Hokage Mountain, overlooking the vast village. Sasuke took a moment to drag Naruto over, away from the village and out of sight.

"We can't afford for anyone to come looking for us. Let's stay out of sight for now."

Naruto nodded, pouting like a scolded dog. "Before... we go anywhere, let's go to my apartment."

* * *

The place was as cold, if not colder than outside.

Sasuke was surprised it was permitted for a kid to live in a place like this. Though, Naruto hadn't been considered a kid most of the time; more an animal and scapegoat. The apartments themselves were located in a poorer area. But as they entered the apartment, there were certain things that Sasuke could see were not from any kind of child's mess; like the blankets pinned up over certain parts of the wall to cover abusive spray point that Naruto hadn't been able to remove. Little shards of broken glass, where it was obvious the window had been broken recently but quickly replaced. Abuse. It made Sasuke feel maybe a tiny bit sorry for the kid. For Naruto.

Naruto had obviously seen Sasuke analysing the place, because he briefly opened his mouth to say something before closing it and continuing to walk. Naruto nodded at Sasuke, and Sasuke understood. If Naruto saw Sasuke, that would be fine. But if Naruto saw Naruto, that would be when the problems arose. Sasuke walked in first.

The young child was just that- so young. So small. 7. Sasuke had felt like 7 had been a big age, looking up to such a prodigious older brother who had been excelling at that age. But Naruto was so, so small, in a huge bed – a single bed – wrapped in blankets. From behind him, Naruto tapped his shoulder, ushering him out into the hall.

"What?"

Naruto fumbled in his pocket for something- before bringing out a small photo. It was his mother, a beautiful red-headed woman who looked matronly and kind, clutching a pregnant stomach and blushing. He walked into the hall, fumbling in his own drawers for a pen. "Write on the back of this," Naruto whispered. "Saying, 'I love you very much. Eat well, and always smile. Become the best ninja you can. You can do it. Love from, Mother.'"

"Why can't you do it?"

"My handwriting is a mess, and yours is more feminine."

Sasuke said nothing at the comment (the blond swore he saw his eyebrow twitch), but wrote it nonetheless, handing Naruto back the photo as he crept into his room. Naruto reached into his pocket one last time, bringing out his wallet. It was bulging with money, and he gave it to Sasuke. The raven raised an eyebrow.

"He needs it."

He nodded, taking the photo and money and placing it on the young childs' bedside. Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat when the young Naruto stirred, turning his head from it's face down position to looking at Sasuke. The eyes were open, and Sasuke's trained ears could hear Naruto quickly getting out of sight.

The child blinked, his eyes half-lidded with sleep.

"Who are you?"

_Fuck. Shit._ "I'm- an angel."

Sasuke thought he heard Naruto choking back laughter in the hall for a second.

"An angel, huh?" The younger Naruto rolled over, staring at the ceiling before crossing his arms and yawning. "I don't believe you."

"Why?" _How the hell do I act like an angel? What do angels even _do_?!_

"Angels haven't come to help me before."

"We- only come and help if you really need us."

The younger Naruto rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow and looking straight forward. "I did. I did need you."

_Shit._ "Well... uh..." Fuck. "_Is there anything you want?_"

"Huh?"

"Anything. I'll give you one wish." _I hope he doesn't ask for a goddamn lifetime supply of ramen. Fucking Naruto, leaving me in here on my own-_

"Really?! Any wish I want?!" The kid had bounced out of bed, kneeling and bouncing on the bed in a mere second.

_ Oh Jesus._ "Yes. But only one."

The younger Naruto didn't even hesitate.

"A family! A tou-san, or, or a kaa-san – or a nii-san, or a nee-san! Any... any will do!" Sasuke felt himself feeling sorry for the kid. It was a pitiful sight. "Just a family. Any... any will do."

_What a thing to ask for. Any regular child would ask for a world of ice cream. _

But Sasuke'd had a feeling it would be this; Sasuke had had a feeling it would be for a family, or for friends. And he knew just how to do it.

He couldn't say why he was doing it. Sasuke didn't know himself. But maybe – just a little bit – he felt like he might of, somehow-

-cared about what happened to Naruto.

"I'll give you the best family you could have asked for."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

The moment they got out of earshot, Naruto began laughing hysterically.

"Angel?! _You?! _I must have been senile!" He doubled over laughing in the middle of the street, people peering out of their windows at the two hooded men in the street. "And how exactly do you think you're going to keep these promises you're throwing out?"

Sasuke folded his arms, waiting for the boy's laughter to die down. "I know who'll take care of him."

Naruto's laughing stopped, looking up at the raven with a skeptical look. "I don't think you understand how hated I was- how hated I am. Whatever. This time-travel stuff is really confusing." He stood up, brushing off the knees of his clothing before folding his arms.

"Are you sure you're not just an idiot?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, and began walking, muttering profanities under his breath. "So, where to next, Sasuke?"

"Itachi."

Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, as he realised what exactly Sasuke had been planning all along.

* * *

It was past midnight, now. Maybe 3, 4 in the morning. Neither of them were sure, but the sun was far below the horizon, its light producing a tiny, intangible gradient at the edge of the sky. It was a cloudless night, tiny pinpricks of red-blue-white light peering through the night sky. The Uchiha complex was eerie in the night, the homes quiet and ominous. Sasuke couldn't help but feel threatened as they crept through the complex, the home of the police force.

He was only glad for the fact he and Naruto were such high calibre shinobi. If not for that, Naruto's sickness would have rendered him a complete burden by now. He was annoying enough without Sasuke having to lug him around.

They arrived at the Uchiha complex, and Sasuke felt himself frozen as they infiltrated the home. He felt like crying. What a _feeling_ – his mother and father were sleeping upstairs, happily – as was his younger self – and Itachi. Yet, Sasuke felt like someone was gripping his heart tightly, relentlessly when he remembered he would not be able to see the wonderful, soft smile of his mother again. As he had dreamt, all these years. Even his father's stern and never-quite-approving smile was something he'd have died to see again. The longing was overwhelming – the longing to go upstairs and burst into their bedroom, hold them and cry like a child.

Naruto must have sensed his feelings, because the blond caught his attention and nodded his head towards the upstairs. Sasuke shook his head; he knew his brother too well. Even beneath chakra suppression techniques, Itachi would know they were here.

Hopefully, he would also know why.

Sure enough, quietly, and with his sword drawn, Itachi descended the stairs. Sasuke had half-heartedly hoped that Itachi'd have come downstairs in his pyjamas, so he could feel some sense of amusement, but he hadn't. He'd come down in shinobi gear, and Sasuke knew he had not been sleeping. The Uchiha supposed that if he were in his place, he wouldn't sleep either. What person could possibly sleep, with such a hefty burden breaking their back?

Seeing his brother's face again made his heart hurt, but it was such a strange sensation to notice that he was indeed taller than the boy. Sasuke didn't know why he hadn't expected that, but Itachi had always been taller; a tall, admirable figure in his life. Itachi nodded to outside, and they tentatively escaped once again. Sasuke couldn't help but notice, as they crept through the shadows of the Uchiha district, Itachi had led the way. Even at the age of 13, he led the way. He knew it was something about Itachi's presence. Something about his kindness, knowledge and calmness that made you feel as though your life would be not only safe, but better off in his hands.

They reached the forestry of the Training Grounds quickly and without incident, and Itachi turned to them, unsheathing his sword once again. Yet, as he looked at Sasuke, it was as though he immediately knew.

"Sasuke," he whispered. "So, it worked."

"Nii-san." Sasuke felt like his stomach was falling – he had such a great deal to say, but not enough time or will-power-

"Do you still say that?" Itachi's eyes were sad. "After all I've done."

"How do you know what you've done?"

"I know what I'm going to do." Itachi had lowered his sword, the shining blade hanging limply by his side. "You look so different, Sasuke. So tall, strong... filled with hatred."

Sasuke shook his head. "I found out the truth, after hating you my whole life. Abandoning Konoha. I decided... that Konoha needed to be destroyed, for what it did to you. Our family."

Itachi looked disappointed, but only slightly. "It's done nothing to me, Sasuke. I must perform the inevitable. To avoid war, Sasuke." He looked up at Sasuke – what a strange sensation – and looked melancholy. "You came here to convince me otherwise, didn't you?"

Sasuke didn't laugh, but he felt like he should've. "What else?"

"If I don't do it, then someone else will."

"Then let them," Sasuke whispered. "But let me have a big brother."

Itachi looked conflicted, stricken by Sasuke's words. "If it was that easy..."

Naruto felt like an intruder on the whole situation, but couldn't hold back a hacking cough that sprayed blood all over the two. The pain in his stomach – oh _fuck_ –

"Oi, Naruto!"

"Naruto, huh," Itachi mused. "The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He became your comrade?"

"No."

The grip on Sasuke's arm that Naruto had been using to support himself turned into a pinching grip. "Bastard..."

Itachi let a soft, subdued smile cross his face watching the odd exchange between the two. He didn't need to see them in battle to know that they were friends. Sasuke appeared reluctant, and Itachi was sure he was, but he knew that the two were closer than they'd ever admit. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine. I have a couple of favours to ask, Itachi."

Itachi nodded at Sasuke. "Yes?"

"The first being... Naruto. This world's Naruto."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Naruto?" His eyes widened in realisation. "You want me to take him in?"

Sasuke began to stutter on his words, looking faintly embarrassed. "Uh, long story short-"

"-Sasuke told Naruto he was an angel, and he promised him a brother!" Naruto finished, hiccupping into hysterical laughter. Itachi too, looked at his younger brother with a laughing expression.

Sasuke tried to move past the subject. "It was on the spot improvisation, so,_ anyway-_"

"_Ahahahaha!_" Naruto's laughter was deafening, and Sasuke twitched.

For some reason, Itachi found himself holding back laughter too. He nodded, smiling. "I suppose I could take young Naruto in. It may be for the best for me to move out now anyway."

"Oh God, my fucking _sides-_"

"You're under suspicion for Shisui's murder anyway, aren't you?"

"-a fucking_ angel! Sasuke!_"

"It won't seem too abrupt, I suppose," Itachi said. The corners of his mouth were twitching, as were Sasuke's eyebrows.

"-was it a Freudian slip or something? Jesus, I just _can't-_"

Itachi found himself chuckling, and he covered his mouth in a half-hearted attempt to cover his laughing. Sasuke found himself blushing, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth in his attempts to try and salvage his bruised ego.

"Don't you laugh at me too, Itachi!"

He did, and the field began echoing with the sound of two people laughing and the other indignantly protesting and unsuccessfully trying to get some genuine points across.

* * *

"Otouto-" Itachi stopped himself. "Ah, maybe that doesn't quite apply." After all, Sasuke was now older and taller than him.

Itachi couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the situation. A couple years ago, he had began the seal, and now these people had come from a time where things hadn't gone all too well. This timeline. Itachi had committed the acts he did, and though he was yet to ask, things seemed to have gone relatively terribly. This Naruto boy, too, was dying.

He'd met Minato on a couple of occasions. He had only been young, but the man was imposing yet kind. Strong, agile, but funny and good with children. He'd never treated Itachi like he was younger than him, which Itachi had always liked, since he'd never felt like he was. The man was dead, Naruto his only legacy – and maybe Itachi felt some sort of duty, maybe he should have taken care of Naruto too. The boy was dying now, but of course – Itachi had a second chance. A chance to give young Naruto a life he'd never known.

"It's tonight, then." They'd stopped to have tea in a small tea shop, Sasuke employing the technique that had been used on Naruto when they'd met, thanks to his Sharingan. "You'll kill them tonight, under Danzo's orders."

The place was empty, and Sasuke had ordered tamryoku-cha. It was strong, and the scent cleared his head. Itachi had ordered a sweeter tea, by the smell, but Sasuke didn't know what. The shop had only just opened.

"Our clan is a terrible sacrifice, Sasuke." Itachi looked forlornly at his tea, but Sasuke soon realised he was looking at his own hands. It made his heart feel like it was twisting. Sasuke did not know how he could have ever mistaken his brother for a manic killer, even with all the indicating evidence. "It is better than the entirety of Konoha. The instigation of war."

"War," Sasuke repeated. "War. I'd rather war."

Itachi closed his eyes, shaking his head. "You haven't seen what I've seen, Sasuke."

No matter what, Itachi carried the heavy burden of wisdom – no matter what time, era or anything. No matter how old and weathered Sasuke had become, Itachi was eternally older than him. Wiser.

Naruto looked, not bored per se, but distracted, eyes wandering outside of the window. His love for the village was as clear as day to both of them. A smile ran across his face as he looked at the familiar buildings, even the ground. The mere existence of it made his heart pound.

"In the letter you wrote to me, you admitted you'd done wrong." Sasuke took a sip of his tea. "This can't be the right way to go about it, Nii-san. Who ordered the massacre?"

"Danzo."

"And who ordered the coup?"

Itachi's grip tightened around his drink. "Otou-san- Uchiha Fugaku."

Sasuke bit his tongue and forced out words he wished he'd never have had to say.

"Then we'll have to kill them."

* * *

Itachi was gone.

Fugaku had noticed the moment he had woken up. He'd not felt Itachi's chakra in a sleep-like state before he had fell asleep himself, and he suspected the Uchiha had escaped the moment he knew everyone in the house was in a deep sleep. He felt his muscles tighten, and he closed his eyes, trying to reign in his anger. Fugaku had no idea where he could have possibly gone wrong, in the upbringing of a seemingly perfect child – to bring about a traitor.

Shisui had been found dead, and the cause of death was from drowning himself. Yet, all suspected Itachi. Even he did; though the cause seemed concievable, the circumstance did not. Fugaku couldn't help but think, however, that it was odd that Itachi could conduct in such a stupidly obvious way. He'd have expected his son to make a more clean killing – ah, that wasn't right at all. He hadn't 'expected' his son to do anything like this at all.

Mikoto was already up, and as he dressed and went downstairs, she was preparing food. Fugaku could sense the woman was attempting to find some sense of normalcy in the midst of this mess, and she turned to smile at him.

"Sasuke isn't up yet. He seemed sleepy."

Fugaku nodded, and he knew that she knew. She'd have probably known from the moment she woke up as well, and as he took some paperwork and sat down, he wondered if she knew what was coming.

"Where do you think he's gone?" Her voice was quiet, yet worried – it angered Fugaku, that she could consider her son innocent. That she could worry about him, even though he was but a traitorous dog to Fugaku.

"Back to the council, like the lapdog he is, no doubt."

"Don't speak of him like that." Mikoto's voice was sharp and firm. Sometimes Fugaku forgot that she had been a jounin in her own right in her youth.

Fugaku snorted. "You should know better than to let a traitor mar the iron will of the Uchiha. Son or not."

Mikoto put down her cooking knife, placing both hands on the counter and bowing her head. She was shaking, and for a moment Fugaku suspected it was with tears, before realising that she was shaking with pure, unadulterated anger.

"Do not speak of our son as a _thing_. A 'traitor'! You_ raised_ him, Fugaku-"

"-and he has betrayed us, Mikoto! As an Uchiha, it is his duty to use his talent for the clan, and he murdered Shisui-"

"You don't know that for certain!"

"He did, and you_ know_ it, Mikoto." Fugaku's tone was becoming more forceful and demanding by the minute, and he felt himself becoming tense with anger. "The clan raised him, and he has the audacity to kill one of our own. You know that the council is behind this. The Uchiha rightfully belong as rulers, and he could claim that title if he were not so-"

"Not so what?" Mikoto asked, her voice low and dangerous with fury. "Not so what, Fugaku?! _Kind?!_ Our son is a gentle boy, and you know it! You should have known Itachi would not want anything to do with the bloody reign of the Uchiha! I sympathise with him!"

A deadly silence fell.

"You what?"

"I sympathise with him," Mikoto repeated. Tears fell from her eyes. "I sympathise with him, I do, I do, I do!"

The woman shut her eyes, holding the sides of her head as she cried.

"Get out, Mikoto."

"Fugaku-"

"_Get out._"

The woman rushed out of the home in floods of tears, and Itachi silently thanked his father for the favour.

Mikoto left the house just in time to miss the murder of her husband.

* * *

"Itachi."

"Otou-san."

The man sighed deeply, letting his head loll back on his chair. "A pacifist as always, Itachi."

Itachi said nothing, but Fugaku saw the blade held to his throat shook with the unsteady poise of Itachi's hand.

"I'm sorry it's come to this." Fugaku turned his gaze to the hooded man that was accompanying him. The man turned to Itachi.

"Nii-san, I can't let you do this." _Nii-san- what, _Sasuke? "I will take this burden."

Itachi paused. "Sasuke, I-"

"No. You have a life ahead of you. I have a day."

The man lowered his hood, and walked over to Fugaku.

It was unmistakably Sasuke, but he was altogether very different. In height, stature, but what bothered him was the cold, cold eyes. No happy, carefree smiles, no naivety. At one point, he may have been glad for such a transformation, but now, it just terrified him.

"You can't be Sasuke," he breathed. "Sasuke's just a child."

"If we don't kill you, the whole clan must be killed." The Sasuke-lookalike closed his eyes and knotted his eyebrows, as though recalling an unpleasant memory. "Sasuke will be alone in the world. For the sake of cleansing the Uchiha, he will lead a life of hatred."

Sasuke's voice was rising, becoming more passionately forceful and strong as he spoke. "I will kill you, and I will eradicate this fate. I will save my family. My mother, my brother. My aunties and uncles. If that is at the cost of your life, so be it!"

"From the future. You're from the future." Fugaku's revelation was quiet. He looked at Sasuke, and smiled. Sasuke had never seen such a smile from the man before. Never seen such an honest approval, such an honest pride – never for him.

"You've grown into a fine young man, Sasuke. I'm sorry for everything I must have done to you. I... am very proud of you, Sasuke. Itachi." Sasuke felt himself choking, holding back tears. "You both represent more than the Uchiha name to me. You are my sons."

Sasuke could hear the patter of Itachi's falling tears.

"It's far too late now," Fugaku said. "The coup has already been initiated. My death should be signal enough for the Uchiha."

"Please tell Mikoto I love her dearly."

Sasuke nodded, and with shaking hands and tearful eyes, ran his sword straight through his father's heart. In the minutes after, he could not bring himself to withdraw the blade from his father's chest. The tears did not stop.

* * *

_Ero-sennin,_

_ I haven't been writing because, I've been... well, busy. With time-travel, and stuff. It's a long story, but I'm sure you're watching anyway!_

_ Sasuke and Itachi left to go kill their father. To stop the coup. I'll be with them when we go to kill Danzo – Danzo won't be an easy opponent, especially with ROOT._

_ I'm so sick, Ero-sennin. I finally understand why Itachi brought me along; for the Kyuubi's chakra. The Kyuubi must have been keeping my illness at bay with the crazy healing – for it to have overcome him, I must have been really ill. Itachi used that chakra to power the time travel, and now that he's gone... I'm just withering. Dying. I know I'm going to die today anyway, but I'm really scared I'll die before the deadline at midnight._

_ I gave my kid self a picture of my mother. Maybe it'll cheer him up. I never understood why they didn't give me a picture of her anyway._

_ Sasuke. I met Sasuke, Ero-sennin._

_ I never got to bring him home, but I'm spending my... our last day together. We're the only people alive from that timeline, now. Are they dead, or... I don't know. I don't think Itachi knew, either. I wonder who's up there, with you._

_ Sasuke's been... nice. He's colder, harsher than he used to be... but he's himself. If I'm moping, he knows how to get me up and running. It gives me hope that maybe, underneath it all, he's still there. That bastard in Team 7._

_ It doesn't matter now. Nothing does._

_ I can't help but feel stupid that everything I worked to do doesn't even matter anymore. That we're just resetting the clock, but... I'm happy. I'm really happy, too, because we get a second chance. A second chance to live life again._

_ Ero-sennin, I promise that this time, I'll bring about world peace. I'll bring about a day where shinobi can understand one another._

_ I never go back on my word._

_ See you soon,_

_ Naruto_

* * *

**AN: It's too goddamn long. I even tried to cut down the writing in some scenes here (less is more in emotional scenes sometimes) but it's still at around 8000. Not cool. **

**Please review and tell me how to improve! The more advice you give me, the better this will get. So, please.**

**(Also please tell me if anything is badly worded, confusing, etc. - Again, improvement.) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! Yeah, uh... I didn't manage to wrap up the bit I wanted to in this chapter. I'm sorry. :( But I have my reasons. I don't really want my chapter length to go too far beyond this. Large enough to contain a decent amount of plot, short enough to not be a huge pain in the ass. I like it. It's a nice length, you know? It's good. I'm keeping it.**

**Also, it was a good place to finish. I didn't want this chapter to feel like I shoved everything in in like, 2 seconds. So I thought this well-sized slice of conflict and character development would suit you all fine. I want a decent amount of space for the next chapter.**

**Review if you can! Constructive criticism only helps my storytelling. If I know I'm satiating the masses, I might feel a bit more content with my work too.**

* * *

It was almost midday. Almost half time up, but Naruto was so exhausted. His muscles were fatigued, his body fat wasting away. He felt so useless, but he thanked his large chakra reserves that he had even made it through the first part of the day.

Naruto was slumped against a tree. It was a rather distant training ground, and Sasuke had put them both under a henge once again. He had told Naruto to wait, and that he would go get some food. The Uzumaki had sensed his need to be alone. Witnessing the death of your father was one thing- but to watch it twice was just pure cruelty. Possibly partaking in it as well – Naruto shook his head, but knew he could never really understand; with no father, no fatherly bond, he could never truly understand.

So he was waiting. Naruto knew it would be his only rest of the day; the moment Itachi met them, they would be off.

It was cherry blossom season, and Naruto suddenly missed Sakura. The swarm of pink petals that littered his shoulders, the field – he just missed her. He couldn't help but feel a heavy, drowning guilt that they had come back in time, not only without her, but he had had no opportunity to ask Sakura what she wanted. What she wanted to _change._ He didn't feel it was fair at all.

"Forehead!"

It was a quiet utterance to Naruto, but sounded like it had been screamed at a distance. Abruptly, out of the corner of his eye, Sakura emerged from underneath a distant cherry blossom tree; he was reminded of the rosette's noble civilian roots as he saw her clumsy run. She fell over halfway, collapsing onto the grass. He saw Ino making fun of her light heartedly, and they began picking flowers.

Ino. He remembered the two so well; constantly competing, about everything. Naruto even sometimes thought she'd liked Sasuke just to compete with the blonde. It seemed so different now. Everything seemed so far away._ They're just kids. So small, so young. They __can__ barely throw kunai, and what? They're supposed to be fighting for our village in just a couple years._

_No, no. This is all wrong._

Abruptly, the two children began to approach Naruto – they'd actually began sprinting, but Naruto hadn't really been able to tell at such a distance. The two came up to him, heaving with heavy breaths and holding out daisy chains.

"Ne! Ne! We made some daisy chains for you mister!" Sakura was struggling for breath, but hearing her young prepubescent voice made Naruto feel so... strange. Like – that Sakura had been a kid to some people at one point was... hard to comprehend. They'd been the same age...

"Yeah! But, mine's better, so..." Ino shrugged, smiling, as if the statement wasn't even questionable.

"Ino-pig, mine is so better than yours!"

"Don't think so, Forehead!"

Naruto realised that as a child he did not quite comprehend the full force of how annoying these two girls were.

He took the two daisy chains, hanging them around his neck and smiling. "I like them both. Thank you."

The two blushed, the bickering immediately coming to a halt.

"We just thought you looked a bit... sad," Sakura said, fiddling with her hands.

"And! And! We thought we should ask, since you're a boy-"

"Ino!"

"-do you know who Sasuke-kun is?"

_Why, yes. His future self is headed here right now._ Naruto paused. "I know of him. Why?"

Ino put her hands behind her back, grinning. "Sakura likes him! And Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair. So don't you think, if she grows her hair long, he'll like her?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, and knotted his eyebrows. Her hair hadn't grown all too long yet. "I'm sure if Sasuke-kun likes a girl, it's not because of her hair. It's because she's a strong, reliable kunoichi. Wouldn't long hair just get in the way, if you're not going to have it tied up?" He didn't mention that he thought that the world would probably collapse around them before Sasuke would show any kind of romantic attraction to anyone, ever. Which wasn't strictly true; the world had collapsed around them, and he still hadn't.

"See, Ino-pig! He doesn't care about hair!"

Ino huffed, folding her arms.

Naruto found himself laughing, The girls bowed, saying polite goodbyes, and running off arguing before they'd even had the mind to ask his name, something he was grateful for.

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Argh!"

Sasuke nearly dropped the food he'd brought from the loud yell. He gritted his teeth. "If you weren't too busy trying to blow our cover, you'd have noticed me."

"Hmph. I'm just trying to improve Sakura's quality of life by not having her go after an asshole like you."

"So you can have her."

Naruto thought for a second. "No. What do you think Sakura-chan would want us to fix?"

The raven looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his head. "I don't know. She was always weak."

"At least until Tsunade-obaa-chan came along."

"The Godaime?"

Naruto nodded. "Sakura-chan packs a punch now." He shuddered.

Sasuke exhaled deeply, having finished off his last onigiri. "She has civilian parents, right?"

"Yeah. She didn't have any training as a kid." Naruto folded his arms and pouted. "Why?"

The Uchiha frowned for a moment, before closing his eyes and sighing.

"If you really want to help her, get her a sensei."

The blond's eyebrows knotted, and then opened suddenly. "A sensei! _Aa_, Sasuke, you're a genius!" He gave Sasuke a wide grin. The boy didn't turn to look, and Naruto began thinking hard. "What sensei? What sensei..."

"Stop thinking so hard. You might hurt yourself, usuratonkachi."

Naruto pulled his tongue at the boy, before folding his arms. "Bastard." He tried to grab the bag from Sasuke, who held it just out of reach. "What did you buy?"

"Food."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

Sasuke brought out a set of onigiri, and two packaged tubs.

"What, no ramen?"

"No. I brought some onigiri and soup."

Naruto pouted, taking a packaged tub and two of the onigiri. He bit into them, and found them to be odd... yet somewhat delicious. He looked at Sasuke. "These are your favourite, aren't they?"

"Hn. I don't remember telling you that."

Naruto stuck out his tongue, devouring the onigiri in seconds. They were cooked with tomato, and it gave it a juicy taste. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his speedy eating, but said nothing, eating quietly.

"Where's Itachi?" Naruto asked, licking stray grains of rice off his fingers.

Sasuke stopped eating for a moment. "With mother."_ You know, since m__y father__ is dead. Since I had to kill him._

Naruto stopped, and bowed his head in respect. He'd dare not say sorry, for Sasuke's unpredictable reaction, but Naruto knew Sasuke would hear it anyway. The blond reached for the soup, unclipping the lid. The aroma hit him, and he smiled. "Red bean! My favourite – when did I tell_ you_ that, bastard?"

"Hn."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"Whatever. It's getting cold." _It's fine._

The two ate in comfortable silence, before Naruto burst it with a loud exclamation with a mouth full of food.

"Aa!_ Her!_ She can teach her!"

"You've spat soup all over me, you moron!"

* * *

Sasuke was not the sentimental type.

Or maybe he was, to such an extent that all that really mattered to him was his parents. His family. Focused. Obsessed – leaving no room for anything else, no other feeling at all.

So for the life of him, why he was walking around looking for some tokubetsu jounin that had been a little less than sane the last time he'd encountered her – was truly beyond him. Especially when it was for someone else's benefit. Wasting the time Sasuke knew he should be using to benefit his potential future, to benefit someone else?

It was irritating to know that Naruto's influence lead to stupid, "selfless" incidents like this. It wouldn't have happened at all, if not for the fact that Sasuke maybe felt he might perhaps owe the dying imbecile something for bringing him here without throwing a fit.

And Sasuke knew that he had a limited amount of time to find her and sort this. They'd be meeting Itachi at 2, and then... of course, there was no telling how long a fight like that would take. Hours... hopefully, they'd finish it soon enough so that they wouldn't have to leave Itachi alone to deal with them.

So, frankly, the Uchiha wasn't really going to permit this woman to take any longer than necessary, much less refuse. Even dead or at least no longer existent, he'd make that woman feel his wrath should she decide otherwise, whether he disappeared or not.

"Where is she?" Naruto whined. Whining. Like Sasuke remembered Naruto doing in the academy. That long, irritating whining. It had irritated him to no end, but the raven found himself pushing down an odd sense of nostalgia. Reminiscence. _Ugh. Like I have time for that shit._

"I don't know, moron. If she's not here, then we don't have time to go on a manhunt."

Naruto looked irked by that prospect. "Sasuke, we can't just leave Sakura-chan out. It's just... wrong!"

"She was weak anyway."

"So was I! And Sakura-chan was _so_ clever, even now!"

"What, in death?"

Naruto was silent, clenching his fists. "No, in this timeline, asshole." He stormed ahead, and Sasuke felt almost like laughing. He couldn't help the feeling.

The blond's indignation showed when he stormed into the shop, almost slamming the sliding doors aside as he walked in. The woman at the counter glanced up, surprised, and Sasuke followed Naruto in quietly, closing the door behind them and walking up to an occupied table. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Uchiha quickly intercepted.

"Mitarashi Anko, we need to talk."

The woman raised an eyebrow, swiping off another dango stick as she did. The bite was as dangerously huge and fast as that of a thin snake consuming a large rat. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I'm kinda tired today. Don't piss me off."

Sasuke didn't bother asking before he sat down opposite the woman, Naruto less uncaring in his action and slightly hesitant as he sat beside him. The blond found it perplexing that even in his henge, Sasuke was just as terrifying when he gave you that cold look of his.

"I'm sure you remember Orochimaru," Sasuke drawled.

Anko gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing. "Be careful what you say, kid."

Sasuke closed his eyes, bringing his hands in front of him and resting his chin on the bridge of interlocking fingers. "It's a long story that you'd be skeptical of. In short, we require your help."

The woman's glare was scathing, and Sasuke was honestly unsure whether it was actually directed at him.

"In the chuunin exams hosted in Konoha in 6 years, after laying low, Orochimaru will strike Konoha. He will give the curse seal to a potential vessel – most likely an Uchiha – and instigate an invasion on the village." Sasuke stared straight at Anko. "I'm sure you know the pains of the curse seal well, Anko."

The tokubetsu jounin bit her lip, her expression furious. "Who are you, and why should I believe this supposed intel?"

"You don't have to." Sasuke stood up. "If things go the way they likely should, Orochimaru will curse Uchiha Sasuke. His infiltration into the exams is inevitable. If you want to have any hopes of preventing it, then train Haruno Sakura, his teammate. Even if they are prevented from entering the exams, Orochimaru will seek them out. That girl is the weakest link."

"Why should I believe you? Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you now. You could be a spy, implanting false information." The civilian cashier eeped in the background.

Sasuke snorted. "Fine."

Naruto went to protest as Sasuke activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, and found himself wordless as Anko was immediately captured by the dojutsu.

* * *

"Tsukuyomi," Anko spat. "What a surprise."

The Uchiha said nothing, walking slowly towards her, his hooded black coat shuffling around his body. He closed his eyes, his approach slow but looming. Anko found herself stepping back warily, even as she knew that if this man so wished she'd be in a world of suffering right now; whether she tried to fight or not.

"I need you to help me."

His voice was low and cold, but Anko heard his voice clearly.

Anko felt her face contort with anger. How dare this stranger ask her for help, after _threatening_ her like this-

The Uchiha smirked slightly. "Here, your thoughts are my thoughts. I am not threatening you."

She bit her lips, settling for a fierce scowl.

The dark-haired man turned around, walking across the vast landscape. "Mitarashi Anko. Born October 24th. 18 years old as of now. You received the cursed seal under the tutelage of Orochimaru not too long ago. You learned several techniques from the man, and you summon snakes. He abandoned you. You're a bloodthirsty, sadistic and unsympathetic person, but care greatly for your comrades. You're immune to most poisons, and have dedicated your life to killing Orochimaru."

She felt her heart drop- what – how could this man know so much, she'd never seen him in her life-

"I too, am an ex-student of Orochimaru." The man's face held an expression of contempt, but one that resembled the face one would have at seeing a cockroach beneath his foot; disgust and mild annoyance, but mostly indifference. "What a pathetic man. His desire to live forever killed him."

Anko choked. "He's- he's _dead?_"

"Not now."

"What?! What are you_ talking_ about?!"

"The future. I am a time traveller."

Anko raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Stop bullshitting me. Time travel... hah. You Uchihas are fucking lunatics."

"I am Uchiha Sasuke." Anko's face was blank. "Brother of Uchiha Itachi."

Her face glinted with recognition, and as she looked at Sasuke, her breath caught in her throat. "You're- you're that runt! His whiny little brother- you! But-"

And the similarities struck her. It_ was_ him. The little spikes in his hair, his smirk- but he was a different person, now. The child she'd seen had been tugging on Itachi's leg when he'd be heading off for jounin duties, thin and small with chubby cheeks. Now he was a cold, callous man, with dead eyes and a cut jaw, muscled with a low voice that faintly resembled that squeaky child's voice. Though Anko really did want to cast aside the similarities, they were there, and she couldn't.

"In my world, the Uchihas were slaughtered tonight. I was left alone, by Itachi. The village was attacked during my chuunin examinations, the Third Hokage killed, and I was cursed by Orochimaru. Tsunade was recruited as the Godaime Hokage. I left to Orochimaru, to attain power to kill my brother. I killed Orochimaru, then my brother – only to discover his total innocence. The leader of the Akatsuki destroyed the whole of Konoha. Worst of all, Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah, was the hero."

Anko blinked. "Could you say that again?"

For hours, Sasuke played the events in front of them. It ended with Anko's promise of utmost secrecy, and promises to help Sakura – all of them, if she could.

* * *

In an instant, Anko reeled back, quiet, unprotesting. She sighed, bringing her hand to her temples.

"You Uchiha and your goddamn eyes."

* * *

Coughing up blood was becoming more routine as the day went on. Sasuke had actually gone to the liberty of purchasing a couple packets of tissues, for the sake of Naruto not spraying blood over random passers-by by accident. Despite his sickness, the Uchiha was oddly sure that the blond wouldn't be a deadweight in the battle, and instead an asset.

For some reason, he and Naruto worked together flawlessly. Even their elemental affinities annoyed Sasuke; they made it seem like Naruto was designed to help him, to 'rekindle' him or 'save him from the darkness'. Such phrases served not to impress Sasuke, but only to make him feel irritated. Darkness. Sasuke had been totally happy there, until he'd decided to do something as stupid as this.

He refused to care about Naruto, to give a shit about him whatsoever – yet Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly (only slightly) concerned when he'd hear Naruto's hacking cough next to him, the light specks of blood that managed to seep through the thin layer of tissue. The reason being that Naruto would obviously be a pain in battle if he got any more ill. It would be a complete inconvenience to Sasuke.

Sasuke managed to convince himself that the concern he had for Naruto's health was directly linked with his ability in battle, and that was all. Nothing more.

Even Naruto was awfully quiet. Coughing, occasionally, but nothing more. They were both tense. Though Sasuke was pretty sure that his time would be better spent discussing techniques, methods of killing Danzo, they both knew it was futile. They knew nothing of Danzo's techniques – his methods, in any way, shape or form. It was Itachi they needed- Itachi was the key to the whole fight.

"Sasuke."

His older brother nodded at him, expression gentle but hardened all at once.

Sasuke realised how annoying it actually was that Itachi was smaller than him. It made him feel strange. And stupid, too; Itachi was so much older than his years, than Sasuke himself- knowing that he was taller, broader, older and yet just so much younger really pissed him off. No matter what, the raven knew he'd never really shake that "foolish little brother" feeling.

And he followed Itachi. Neither he nor Naruto had any idea where the ROOT headquarters were located, though Itachi did. That was to be expected; even now, Sasuke felt like Itachi knew everything, knew everything before Sasuke even said it. It was a peculiar feeling.

Itachi walked slowly, and yet he was so fast. His strides were purposeful and long, and the lack of tension and urgency in his movement deceived you into believing he was simply strolling, until he was several metres ahead of you. _Ah, he's just a kid. _Sasuke's heart clenched. When he'd been 13, he'd been... in Team 7. Just... screwing around. He'd left at 13, too – but he'd... Sasuke knew he'd been such a child. So attached, to the point where Sasuke had thought that maybe, just maybe – he'd be content in Team 7. Just staying there.

Things had changed. But Sasuke felt so stupid, as he saw Itachi at that age. Nearly an adult. Strong. Clever – a pacifist. Sure of himself, and his destination.

Though, even Sasuke knew he was seeing through the rose-tinted glasses of idolisation. Itachi was far from perfect; otherwise, Sasuke would not have ended up as he was.

The Uchiha drew his mind to the matter at hand. They had arrived.

Infiltration began.

* * *

Pressing themselves against the wall, Naruto and Sasuke waited.

They had masked their chakra as Itachi had requested. He'd told the two that he'd requested an audience with Danzo today, previously, in preparation for the massacre that night. As a conference with Danzo on the day of the massacre would later be damning evidence, the village elder had naturally asked Itachi to make it of the utmost secrecy and infiltrate the headquarters. Itachi turning up now would be expected – the perfect opportunity for him to exploit Danzo's naivety and kill him.

Granted Naruto and Sasuke did not let their presence become known.

Sasuke felt a little, no – very apprehensive about letting Itachi in there alone. Even if Danzo was old and weak, Sasuke had his suspicions – and if he himself was not strong, the Uchiha knew that Danzo had an entire army behind him. Incredibly strong, emotionless soldiers who were wholely and completely loyal.

"Sasuke-"

Sasuke clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth.

He'd heard a noise. _A bang? No, a-_

Naruto grabbed his shoulders and pulled them both down.

Shuriken hit the wall where Sasuke's head had been.

Danzo snorted, parrying a strong swing of Itachi's sword with two crossed kunai. "Lackeys, Itachi?" The older man struggled under the push of Itachi's sword. "I'd expected better."

Itachi took the opportunity to swipe his legs beneath the man, causing Danzo to lose his balance. The man caught himself on his hands, powering himself backwards and out of Itachi's path. Itachi sent a flurry of shuriken at the elder, forcing him to dive out the way.

Danzo heard the distinctive whirring of metal wire.

_Shit- he's going to cut me in half!_

The elder poised two kunai at his sides, holding the metal blades against the wires at either side of him to stop him being cleanly sliced in two. The pose was odd, unbalanced, and Danzo felt his wrists trembling at the pressure.

Sasuke took this opportunity to launch shuriken at Danzo, only to find the man smirking as he hooked the metal wires up using the handles of his kunai, using the thin wire as a make shift defence – and his smirking expression briefly turned into a frown as Naruto assaulted him with a strong kick. It wasn't as refined and clean as the fighting of the Uchiha's, but it was strong and it was fast. Danzo knew that he was going to struggle, especially with all three at once-

Danzo let the wires down for a moment, Itachi's eyes widening as he let go so as not to cut Naruto apart- and Danzo struck, lunging forward with speed and nicking Itachi's fore arm with his kunai as the man jumped backwards and out of his range.

Itachi ran forward, kunai in hand and Danzo readied himself for a close-combat struggle, only to find Itachi pressing quickly and carefully on a certain joint on his hand with the precision of a Hyuuga, and abruptly his hand was limp, weak, kunai clattering to the ground-

Naruto took the opportunity to run forward, beneath Itachi's arm and knock Danzo to the ground, placing his foot on Danzo's chest, hard – only to see the man using his working hand to ready a handful of shuriken-

There was a shrill, horrendous cry as Sasuke broke the man's hand.

Heavy breathing.

"Well, then. I'd better start taking you Uchiha on as equals..."

The genjutsu broke.

Danzo began unravelling the bandages around his right eye, revealing a single Sharingan. The eye belonging to one of their most renowned members, Uchiha Shisui, resided there, the wound still slightly sore – and as Danzo looked around, he felt his heart racing. It was like no ordinary vision, filled with seeing and chakra and movement so beautiful that Danzo felt so indignant that the Uchihas had such an unfair advantage.

Itachi attacked first.

Danzo felt near dizzy at all the extra movement, and yet he thought, was this the magnificence of the Sharingan, or of Uchiha Shisui alone? He did not know, and he did not care, and he retaliated, clumsier than he should have but he could see! He could _see_, divine movement, he could see indeed-

"The eye of my best friend, Shisui Uchiha-"

Itachi swung forward with his sword, arcing downwards, Danzo's dazedness stunning him and he moved yet not quick enough-

"-is nothing when wielded by a coward!"

Danzo's little finger fell to the ground, blood flowing freely from the open wound. The man looked at it, shocked, before narrowing his eyes and jumping back. He pressed the stump where his finger had been tightly.

"A coward I may be, but only for Konoha." He struck quickly, powering chakra to the edge of his kunai and aiming for Itachi's leg – only to be flung back by the turning moment force of Itachi's sword.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

And now he was amongst many, Danzo skillfully withdrawing his sword and slicing through the enemy. Kenjutsu was ideal against Naruto; but against Itachi, it was useless. The man was on par with him, if not more skillful. Danzo was well aware this young blond boy was not of this... anything. He was unnatural. Danzo could sense his chakra level- it seemed neverending, ominous and strange, and it unsettled him.

"Find another way." Sasuke struck from the back, Itachi from the front, Danzo parrying Itachi at the front and dodging Sasuke's lunge from the back. He winced; a second later, and he would have been skewered on that chokuto.

"What do you mean, 'another way?'"

Danzo made the rookie mistake of looking into Itachi's eyes.

It was cold, empty, the world was blank and empty and Itachi was torturing, stabbing him again and again as he hung on the cross but instead of him just dying, going into shock it was going on and on and there was blood all over him, seeping down his pants filling his shoes, hours and hours of bloodshed until his shoes became so heavy they slipped off his feet blood _blood blood-_

"Without needless murder."

Danzo threw up, bile, vomit and blood as one as they hacked up his throat, and Sasuke stood before him, his chokuto unsheathed and shimmering in the warm lantern glow of the room. He looked up, eyes angry and sharp. "Then what is this, Uchiha?"

Sasuke shrugged. "A lesser evil."

And with that, Sasuke brought down his sword than Naruto could see, the blade sharp and unrelenting as it swiped in a low, forceful arc through flesh, muscle, vertebrae- decapitated completely.

Sasuke heard Naruto choke.

His eyes widened, the body in front of him spurting out fresh blood over his face like a fountain of red. The ferrous liquid spilled down the corpse, seeping through the shirt and onto the floor, the crimson puddle below the still-standing body growing every second- the head falling, rolling, hair stained by red-

It was a child.

The body was yet to stumble, still standing, wavering on the feet before it tumbled to the sides, knees collapsing first and then landing on the left arm on an awkward angle. The right foot still twitched, toes randomly jerking with the remnants of electrical signal. The decapitated head blinked, mouth poised open as if to say something – anything, perhaps-

The room was quiet, and then there was noise.

Footsteps. Light footsteps, quiet against the varnished floor. Sasuke looked at the child; he was somewhat younger than the one that lay in pieces now. He was walking slowly, painfully, as though his legs were refusing to walk. As the child stepped into the blood, the wet noise of his feet pressing against the thick blood made Sasuke wince internally. The fresh blood seeped through the gaps in the child's toes like the blood that rushed to a fresh flesh wound. The child did not look down, didn't stop or even flinch.

The young kid stumbled and slipped on the blood, feet giving out from beneath him as he fell into the blood onto his left side. The left side of his face, his arms, clothes and legs became stained with red, blood dripping down off his eyelashes as the child slowly pushed himself upright. No one reached to help him up, for fear the child would snap, or die, fragile beneath the callous touch of a shinobi who had seen a thousand deaths before.

For a moment, the child's palm slipped as he laid his weight on his two arms, but he caught himself. The splash of the blood beneath him left a droplet on his chin. Sasuke watched carefully as the child got himself upright. He stood for a moment, before doing the same dreary walk for a couple, heavy steps. The child collapsed to his knees, and looked torn.

Naruto felt his heart crack as he watched Sai wonder which part of his brother to go to first.

* * *

"Kotoamatsukami," Danzo grinned, wiping Shin's blood off his face. "I always did admire that jutsu. Shisui certainly had the advantage. The ability to twist one's thoughts without their knowledge – amazing! Only to be expected of Shunshin no Shisui."

Itachi gritted his teeth. "You killed a child. Someone who placed their absolute faith in you."

Danzo shrugged, looking completely nonchalant as he posed his body in a fluid fighting stance. "A lesser evil."

"Naruto, get the kid out of here." Sasuke's voice was cold.

Danzo laughed, his chuckles eerie and echoing in the empty room. "Uchiha Sasuke! You've killed thoughtlessly, meaninglessly! What is it to you, the death of a no-one, an orphaned child?"

In a moment, Sasuke infused his sword with chakra, cutting off Danzo's whole hand.

"Che. Like I'm going to explain myself to trash like you."

Naruto felt himself smile, as he rushed out of the hideout with Sai in arms.

_Ero-sennin, Sasuke's there. The bastard's there... and he's fine._

* * *

Itachi and Sasuke shared a look, nodding before rushing forward. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Danzo's mind raced. _What!? They're going to use that here? The entire hideout will go up in flames and collapse!_

With one hand positioned to direct the flames, Sasuke reached behind himself and brought out a large shuriken, twisting his body to throw it with colossal force. Though stunned, Danzo dodged it, smirking. _Did he really think something that simple would catch me off guard-_

Itachi threw a shuriken above Danzo's head, missing completely much to Danzo's bewilderment – until he heard the slight metal cling of the small shuriken deflecting off the other, and the acute, debilitating pain of it hitting Danzo's Achilles heel. The connection cut into Danzo with such force that Itachi almost winced when he heard the thick, strong tendon snap.

Danzo cried out, blood trickling down his chin as he bit through his lip. He buried his sword in the ground besides him, Sasuke watching on with mild amusement as the man struggled to his feet.

"You Uchiha," Danzo seethed, "always wanting control!" He was limping harshly.

Itachi looked at him with a look akin to the look one would give a man suffering from a flailing madness before death. He walked over to Danzo slowly, the man lunging to strike but gasping the moment he put weight on his foot and collapsing. The stump where his hand had been was bleeding sluggishly.

The man crawled, pushing himself away from Itachi desperately, mumbling incoherently as he desperately tried to pull himself away with his functional hand and foot. He reached the wall soon, and his angry yells got louder. "Death," he spat. "Death should have taken those Uchiha bastards! Miserable- selfish! Breeders of hatred- no one'd miss them, not a soul!"

Itachi shook his head, his Sharingan deactivated as he leaned down to look the man in the eyes. His expression was gentle.

"Death is always sad, Danzo. Even yours."

Itachi didn't stop until the sword had embedded itself in the wall as well.

* * *

Naruto wasn't all too good at anything that really required chakra control, so escaping from the headquarters without anyone noticing the blood stained kid in his arms was easier said than done. It wasn't like he could use any kind of genjutsu to hide it. Once again, Naruto missed Sakura – luckily, the blond had managed to escape into the surrounding forestry. In another time, Naruto might have pouted that he wasn't in the midst of the fray.

But he knew that Sai was more important than anything as stupid as his pride. More than that, the Uzumaki knew that he was weak, that he would just be a burden if he started coughing up blood or being stricken by horrendous pain during the battle.

Naruto stopped at a slight clearing in the trees, setting down the bloodstained child, looking at his cold, dead eyes. The blond was heaving for breath, and he leaned to the side as he coughed up blood onto the wet grass.

He couldn't describe the immense, hollow emptiness Naruto felt. They had come early enough to save Sai's brother, but instead, they had inadvertedly killed him. Sai was part of Team Kakashi, and it was a horrible, cruel truth that they had failed to help Sai. They'd been so wrapped up in the solution of their own problems that they hadn't thought for a moment to help Sai. It wasn't even they; why would Sasuke have suggested it? It was Naruto's fault. It was all his fault.

"Are you okay?"

Naruto winced. He'd hated hearing Sai's voice back then. It was grating; Sai wasn't really concerned at all about him. About anything. He nodded nonetheless. Breathing heavily, he looked the young, pale boy in the eyes. "Sai."

"Sai?"

Naruto's heart dropped, and then he remembered; Sai had been given that name for him. For the mission, for the extermination of Uchiha Sasuke. Nothing else. He'd been nameless to everyone around him, an empty husk of an orphan, until he'd met Naruto.

"What a nice name." The boy put on one of those fake smiles that used to make Naruto want to kick him in the jaw. "I'll keep it."

* * *

**What a hefty chapter. I'm sorry for the horrendously mean scene between Sai and his brother. I feel like the scene was slightly confusing so I'll explain:**

**Danzo, due to him having Shisui's eye, used Shisui's strongest jutsu, Kotoamatsukami. This jutsu is a very powerful jutsu with twists the memories and thoughts of someone, in order to make them do the action you want them to do whilst also thinking that it is the most rational thing to do. They are completely unaware. He did this with Sai's brother - who was eavesdropping though I don't think I mentioned that - causing him to put himself in the line of Sasuke's sword. Sai then walks in to see his brother's corpse. It's pretty horrendous. Also, Kotoamatsukami can only really be used once every decade or so. Obviously, cause it's crazy powerful. This is why, later on, you see Danzo with Hashirama's regenerative cells; he was attempting to reduce this time so he could use it more often.**

**Also, just a quick explanation; I figured, since the massacre hasn't occurred yet, and though Danzo does not say that they are from the massacre they probably are - I basically didn't give Danzo that creepy fucking arm of eyes. I figured he'd have no way of having it, or even Hashirama's cells.**

**Review if you can! It helps me. Thanks so much for reading! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's Christmas day, so I doubt many of you will check for this chapter – have a fabulous day! Sorry it's late. I also think the length is sub par, but there wasn't much point in going beyond the end of this chapter. Please enjoy, criticism is well appreciated - and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!**

* * *

Sasuke's right leg gave out from beneath him, and he cursed loudly.

Itachi rushed to him, eyes concerned. Sasuke felt himself beneath the gentle, familiar gaze of his brother from so long ago. Even at the reduced height of kneeling, he wasn't all that much smaller than Itachi. He ignored this reminder, looking into the kind eyes of his brother that he'd desperately tried to erase from his memory in his hatred. They were clear now. Sasuke felt ridiculous for having ever considered that Itachi could have done something so abominable alone, to "test himself". He was stupid. Blind.

"It's done." Itachi's voice was quiet.

Sasuke shut his eyes, chuckling to himself. "It won't be over until I'm dead."

Itachi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Everything. He pisses me off too."

A pause. "You mean that boy?"

Sasuke collapsed forward onto the floor, stomach turning. Despite it, he found himself laughing, a quiet, tired bout of laughter.

The floor felt cold beneath him, and Sasuke felt his stomach dropping. He was scared; scared, terrified of what he was going to do. Fear was pulsating in the pit of his stomach, a cold sweat forming and he couldn't help but feel ashamed. A lump formed in his throat, and the Uchiha found himself struggling for breath.

"Itachi, I... have a favour to ask."

He nodded at Sasuke, feeling the seriousness of the situation – feeling the tense, thick panic in the air, in Sasuke's eyes. The aged, weathered but still naïve eyes of his foolish little brother.

Sasuke breathed deeply, closing his eyes, tightly, tighter-

"I want you to take my eyes."

Itachi felt his heart drop.

"I know you know of it." Sasuke's voice was trembling slightly. "The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The eyes that never dim. So... before I die, take my eyes."

"Sasuke, you know I could never-"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Itachi... I am leaving you with the burden of a lifetime. I have changed your future just by existing here. The only thing I have for you is this. Nii-san..." His voice began to crack. "Can I call you that?"

Itachi nodded, his eyes gentle, reassuring, so kind that it made Sasuke hate himself more and more the more he looked into them. "Of course, Otouto."

Sasuke choked back a sob. He didn't need to tell Itachi he was terrified. Shaking with fear. Scared of unending darkness. He was far from fearless. Sasuke was terrified, but Itachi knew. Itachi knew him better than anyone, even now.

He took a deep breath. "But... first, I have to show you everything. So... so you understand." Why I did what I did. Why I felt like I had to do it, why why why-

"It's fine, Sasuke." He put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "No more guilt."

Sasuke nodded, and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan for the final time.

* * *

Sasuke would have attempted to sense his chakra, if not for the loud, obtrusive hacking noise.

He made his way through the thicket, seeing the remnants of sliced branches and snapped undergrowth that Naruto and Sai had left behind. Itachi was close behind him, and Sasuke felt apprehensive; the blond's coughing sounded horrible; the kind that is so violent and loud that it makes you wince, and Sasuke could already hear him coughing up liquid – presumably blood.

He reached them within seconds, seeing blood mingled with mud and grass with Naruto facing the ground and hacking. Sai was sat beside him, looking entirely unaffected. Sasuke tried to remind himself that it wasn't that he did not care out of choice, he probably didn't know how – nor did he likely know a way to help Naruto anyway. It didn't stop Sasuke being sufficiently angered by Sai's nonchalant expression.

Naruto was thin, so much more thin than he had ever been. His muscles were wasting away so fast – Sasuke felt an aching, cold weight in his stomach. _He is going to die before the end of the day._

But Sasuke tried his best to drink in this sight. Naruto, the sky, the bright red blood, the thicket, Itachi- these would be the last things he ever saw. Sasuke would never see these things again, these vibrant colours- all of it, gone. For the last couple of hours of his life, he would be blind. He'd not be able to look at the moon before he died, at his best friend – nothing.

Sasuke didn't feel scared any more, not any more than he felt scared of death itself – which wasn't much – but he felt... apprehensive. The Uchiha couldn't recall a time when he could not see what was before him. Sight had been his gift. The Uchihas were blessed with the most fantastic sight of them all, the most attentive eyes - the ability to see with an enviable clarity.

To be blind was to be stripped of his weapons, clothing and of his knowledge. To be a child, born new to the world. It was slightly terrifying to Sasuke. The idea of being stripped of his greatest tool invoked anxiety, and he felt a slight rush of relief that death would come shortly afterwards.

"He's dying."

"I know," Sasuke snapped back bluntly. Sai didn't flinch at the remark.

Itachi put his hand on his shoulder, a small comfort to Sasuke until he realised the arm was slightly poised upwards._ He's still fucking smaller than me. I'm still in the past and my brother is still smaller than me. _He tensed.

Sasuke kneeled down, his left knee touching the pool of blood. He hooked his arms beneath Naruto, looking at Sai with distaste before giving a slight nod. _Thanks for staying with him._

Sai looked emptily back at Sasuke, but there was another emotion that had not been there before in his eyes. Sasuke really didn't care enough to try and get it out of him.

He felt a tap. Then a pull, and then Sasuke felt someone roughly yanking his collar to catch his attention. He looked at Naruto, eyebrow twitching.

"What?"

Coughing. "Don't just- leave Sai here." Naruto's voice was hoarse.

Sasuke looked at the blond. "What do you suggest I do?"

There was a brief silence.

Naruto turned in Sasuke's arms, the jutting bones of his body digging into Sasuke's flesh, even through his clothes. Though he felt bare and dead in Sasuke's arms, Naruto looked at Sasuke with a bright, sharp defiance that made him feel like Naruto was dissecting him with a gaze alone. It pissed him off that the blond could see so much more than he'd have ever shown anyone, with a mere glance. Naruto was just that kind of person, but Sasuke felt like he was just an annoying insect that kept burrowing beneath his skin. An infestation.

Sasuke found that mindset harder to keep as of late.

"Just... take him to the Hokage, Itachi."

Itachi nodded, and they continued in blissful silence. Itachi saw to Naruto's wounds, having known some slight medical ninjutsu that alleviated the wounds he'd tore in his throat with all the coughing. If Itachi's chakra gave way to any knowledge of the severity of Naruto's sickness, he did not say; but Sasuke read Itachi's grim expression with ease.

Sasuke himself settled for thinking apprehensively about his eye removal. The idea had become more acceptable, normal and rational the more he thought about it.

Itachi's hands stopped glowing as he finished the procedure, and he stood up.

"Thanks."

Itachi nodded at Naruto, a gentle smile gracing his face. Though the smile persisted even as he looked at Sai, despite the child's age Itachi did not offer him a hand or any normal gesture one would give to a young child. He knew that these children were not children any more than he was; they were experienced, cold and callous. True shinobi; but, in Itachi's mind, the worst kind.

He left, and Sai followed the Uchiha. Sasuke felt strange when he saw the stance; the child was not chubby, per se, but had a round face and the body of a child indeed – and with that, Sasuke expected a child-like lack of grace or a child-like demeanor. There was neither.

Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"How did it go?"

"He's dead."

Naruto frowned. "I figured, bastard. Did you get caught?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "What about him?"

"He's called Sai," Naruto bit out with more than a little annoyance. "He was fine. Probably because Danzo's killed his emotions off anyway." The blond shuffled his feet. "It's unnerving."

I didn't show much emotion as a kid either, Sasuke thought, but then he supposed he'd not been completely devoid of emotion; he had been rife with irritation, coldness and hatred. What Sai had shown was none of that. Complete emptiness, like he was hollow. His eyes lacked anything. It really was unnerving, but Sasuke'd never voice that.

"I'm giving my eyes to Itachi."

Naruto whipped his head around. "What?! Your eyes!?"

Sasuke didn't even turn to look at him. "The Mangekyo Sharingan induces blindness, but a blood relative eye transplant gives you the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan." He closed his eyes, head tilted towards the ground. "I'm going to disappear anyway, so I don't need these eyes anymore."

He was trying to reassure himself more than anyone.

Naruto frowned for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I suppose... that's the right thing to do."

Sasuke didn't know why he felt so angry all of a sudden.

It wasn't that he'd wanted Naruto's approval for this stupid, selfish feeling – it was just unbridled hatred, anger that he was stuck with this moron. The fact that he had to do things for this idiot, because he "helped" Sasuke get there. Sudden resentment bubbled in him like an unattended kettle, and he turned his head sharply to the blond.

"I don't need your approval," he spat, eyes alight with fury. "I don't know who you think you are, dead last. You can't even walk without me. You're as good as dead."

Naruto visibly reeled from the outburst. "What the- you asshole! I fucking come here against my will, lose my healing ability because of all the fucking chakra you used – my lifespan is now a day at best, and you- _you-_" The blond was absolutely fuming with anger, and Sasuke almost regretted it. Almost.

"You couldn't take a single hit from me, moron."

"I'd fucking knock you out in one, you bastard!"

"Are you sure, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto clenched his fists, stood up and lunged.

Sasuke was genuinely surprised at the force in that punch; he'd either underestimated Naruto, or he had well and truly infuriated the boy. The first punch landed on his shoulder, though he'd aimed for Sasuke's jaw until Sasuke had moved.

The raven aimed for Naruto's head with his punch, but Naruto brought up a palm and negated the force well until Sasuke brought his leg around and slammed it into Naruto's knee. He heard a crack but paid it no attention, pulling Naruto's palm downwards and over his shoulder. The blond grabbed his hair hard, pulling – Sasuke couldn't help but cry out – and they both collapsed to the ground. The Uchiha scoffed; he really was the world's most unpredictable ninja, because no respectable shinobi would pull another's hair.

He brought himself up quickly, landing a punch on Naruto's side as he whipped to roll on top of him, looking straight at the spindly blond as he pulled back a punch. Naruto grabbed his wrist, pulling the punch to the grass beside his head as Naruto kicked him in the ribs, hard. The air was pushed out of him and for a moment, Sasuke faltered.

"Bastard," Naruto breathed, sitting up and smirking-

-and Sasuke landed a strong, firm punch to Naruto's temple that made one of his knuckles shatter.

The blond's eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the ground awkwardly, arms landing awkwardly, head lolling onto the ground almost like it had been snapped from the spine. For a moment, Sasuke felt the heart-stopping fear that came with the sensation of murder. The murder of a loved one, but Sasuke hadn't meant to- this wasn't even for the greater good, like Fugaku or- _or- oh shit, I can't have killed him, I can't!_

Gingerly, Sasuke sat up, leaning towards the crumpled figure of Naruto, sallow flesh pulled over the sharp vertice of bones like a taut bedspread – eyes closed, cheeks gaunt with sickness – Sasuke could already smell the stench of death, the smell of blood and corpses as they stiffened from the rigor mortis-

A long exhale sounded in the quiet, and Sasuke felt like the floor had been pulled out from under him.

The feeling was both shock and a reluctant relief. Naruto's cheeks puffed slightly with air, a ghostly air passing through his lips slowly, but passing nonetheless.

Sasuke's breath shook with happiness, the laugh that wasn't sounding but shook his diaphragm nonetheless; a subdued smile on his face as he looked at his stupid best friend. Sasuke felt a strange gladness that he hadn't killed Naruto – _at least, not over something this stupid._

As Sasuke gazed at the ever naïve blond before him, he shook with the will not to cry.

* * *

Itachi had never been a fan of medical ninjutsu.

That wasn't to say he wasn't somewhat proficient in it – he was – but he hated it. It felt invasive, wrong; even though it was life saving, inserting one's chakra into someone else felt wrong. He wasn't a fan of civilian medicine either, perhaps even less so than medical ninjutsu.

Administering sedatives to Sasuke had been easy, but dealing with this was not. The boy was acting beyond out of character, from what he could tell; he was talking openly about his emotions and smiling. Itachi tried to smile and tune it out, but it really wasn't very easy.

He'd severed the pain nerves for the eye first, and Sasuke was relatively lethargic and unbothered about it all, as unprotesting as a ragdoll. He'd have preferred Sasuke to have been entirely unconscious for the whole thing, but he'd needed him awake to tell him if it still hurt slightly. He was very glad that the surgery was just as simple as removal, otherwise Itachi knew he would have had to consult a medical professional – and considering the circumstance, it wouldn't go down well.

"Itachi," he slurred. "Was it easy? To kill our parents?"

That hurt. "Sasuke, I don't know. That wasn't... this me." He didn't even know why he was trying to explain such a complex matter to someone who was having trouble comprehending the simplicities of reality.

"Of course you remember. You ruined my life, remember?" Sasuke's voice was far brighter and child-like than it should have been.

Itachi tried to block it out. "Please stay still, Sasuke."

The boy obeyed, mumbling absentmindedly as Itachi pulled up a liquid into a syringe. He smiled gently. "You're going to go to sleep now, Sasuke."

He inserted the liquid intravenously, and he saw the boys lips silently moving in a counting manner, before stopping at 7 as the boy fell limp into a deep sleep.

Itachi felt like an intruder and criminal as he severed Sasuke's left eye with a scalpel in one clean stroke.

* * *

Sasuke awoke, opening his eyes, only to remember that he now had none.

"I'm glad you woke up. You've only an hour left."

He turned to the source of Itachi's voice.

"Sasuke, I'd recommend you use small chakra flares in order to sense your way for this last hour. If you sense the resonation back from your surroundings, you should be able to get a rough guess for where you are."

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that everything felt... stronger. Clearer. Though he couldn't see, the voices were clearer and the clothes that rubbed against his skin were felt in greater detail. It was amplified, everything.

Sasuke tentatively groped to the side of the bed, bringing his legs over the side as he tested them against the floor. He turned to Itachi's chakra. "Where is Naruto?"

He couldn't feel him, couldn't feel his chakra anywhere it all- but then, it appeared; a tiny flicker of chakra to his right, a small flame of what was once an inferno of blue and red. The Kyuubi wasn't even present anymore, Sasuke noted; the chakra they'd sucked from the beast must have extracted it's presence in itself.

The raven walked slowly, carefully avoiding all objects in his way as he walked, and found Naruto. Sasuke could hear his steady breathing, and he picked him up, hooking the boy onto his back. He was light.

"I'll walk you to the door."

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi walked slowly, and Sasuke could only guess they were at an old, disused Uchiha outhouse, or a secret meeting location. But as he reached outside, he recognised the familiar path that lead to the gates of Konoha. Sasuke turned to Itachi, and smiled- it was small, but the effort made Sasuke's face ache.

"Thank you, Nii-san. I'm sorry for this burden."

Itachi shook his head. "I'm honoured to have this chance."

"Don't let that moron cause you any trouble." Sasuke paused. "Do you want to come with me?"

The Uchiha walked over to Sasuke, and Sasuke felt the strangely real shock of Itachi's two fingers tapping his forehead.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe another time."

* * *

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

The wind was cold, and Naruto felt himself squinting. His head really, really hurt.

_ Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Now that he thought about it, that bastard had socked him in the side of the head! What an asshole; it was something only Sasuke would do, take it too far during a fucking fight and knock him out because of his obese ego.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

That noise was really beginning to piss him off. Soon, Naruto would have to open his eyes, and then he'd turn that goddamn alarm off.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Then again, it was goddamn cold. Why was his bed so goddamn cold?

_ Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

He decided to move his leg, only to feel it pulled into place by a – a hand? What?

_ Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

Naruto opened his eyes, and found them watering against a bitter wind. What- I'm outside?

_ Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

He looked down, and saw none other than Sasuke's legs making the stupid noise as he walked. As the boy felt Naruto awakening, he stopped and turned his head to him.

Sasuke's eyes were covered in bandages, and Naruto knew that it must have been done.

"Why are you carrying me, you bastard?" Naruto huffed. He'd fucking knocked him out, and now he had the opportunity to act like he was a damsel in distress again. Relenting immediately, Sasuke dropped Naruto, letting the blond fall on his backside. "Ow, what the fu-"

"You asked."

Naruto couldn't really argue against that.

The blond hauled himself to his feet, unsteady and then he found himself falling-

Sasuke caught him. "Stop being stubborn."

Naruto felt himself biting his lip til he drew blood. He decided this was the worst feeling in the world; the feeling of complete and utter weakness. The inability to even stand up without assistance.

He felt Sasuke pick him up and haul him onto his back, and allowed himself the humiliation. Because he knew that Sasuke was too much of a bastard to say sorry, but he was trying. This was his attempt, the only way Sasuke could communicate a genuine apology.

So Naruto waited, letting Sasuke lead the way. He looked around him, seeing surroundings that eventually became familiar. This was the bridge they had spent so long on, waiting for Kakashi; and Sasuke was leading them to the Training Grounds.

It was a warm feeling, and Naruto felt like laughing, felt like giving Sasuke a hug – because Team 7 was still... still there. Sasuke still remembered, and though Naruto knew he should have known something that stupid, it meant the world to him that Sasuke still remembered those times, those promises, that they hadn't drowned amidst hatred and betrayal-

Sasuke laid him down gently against a training post, before sitting down beside him. They remained in peaceful, content silence for a moment.

"I want to look at the sky."

The subdued sadness in that statement almost tempted Naruto to give Sasuke his own eyes.

"I'll tell you what it's like."

Sasuke paused, but nodded.

Naruto took a deep breath, looking at the sky. The sight made him smile.

"Um, well, there's no clouds. It's really dark, like, nearly black- uh, the sky, I mean."

"You're no good at this."

Naruto folded his arms. "Hmph, well, I'm trying! Anyway, there's like, that belt thingy- Oreos, ori-"

"Orion. Orion's belt."

"Yeah, that! I remember it. Ero-sennin showed me it, and there's the big dipper... and the North Star! It's to my right, towards you, and it's really bright tonight. 'Cause we're here, there's no light to stop us seeing it." Naruto took a moment, humming as he did. "Yeah... and, and! The moon is really high up, and it's full! Like, bright white."

_Ah, yeah. The massacre was meant to be tonight,_ Sasuke recalled.

"There are tons of stars, Sasuke. I couldn't tell you about all of them. But, there's some really bright ones, and then ones that are kind of blinded out by really bright ones that are really dim but if you squint and see them they're just as pretty. There are tons of constellations, but I don't... really know any..."

Sasuke made what could be mistaken for a laugh. "Hn. I didn't expect you to."

"Excuse me!?"

"Well, you don't."

"Hah! I'll have you know I know tons."

"You just told me you don't."

"Well- well-" Naruto pouted and folded his arms, turning away from Sasuke. "Whatever. Bastard."

"Usuratonkachi."

And Naruto began spitting out blood, coughing violently once again and Sasuke felt thick droplets landing on one of his crossed legs as the boy began throwing up blood, the noise wet and slick as the blood hit the grass. The blond leant forward, hacking, more and more blood coming out and Sasuke held Naruto carefully, letting his weight rest on him as he spat out blood. A great deal of it landed on Sasuke's arm, but he didn't care all too much.

Naruto was heaving for breath by the end, the air unable to enter as he'd hacked out litres of liquid. His voice was hoarse.

"Where are we going?"

"We're staying here."

Naruto shook his head, gasping for air. "After that."

_Ah. After death._

Sasuke didn't know, but he hadn't thought about it all too much. He didn't really care. Naruto wouldn't want that answer, though.

"Either the afterlife, or emptiness."

Naruto wiped his mouth, sitting up. Sasuke noticed his arms shaking violently. He was weakening by the minute. "What about... if, our souls like, merge with the ones in this world? And we live in these bodies?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We might not even have souls."

"Hmph. I think so."

"I don't care."

Naruto thought for a moment, and leaned all his weight against the training post. He tapped it with one finger. "This is where I got tied up against, isn't it?"

Sasuke hadn't noticed this was the particular one. "Yeah. I suppose so."

"That was_ so_ your fault."

The Uchiha's eye twitched. "Don't even pretend you weren't a complete dead last." Ah, he'd phrased that badly; it implied Naruto wasn't a dead last anymore, and he definitely was.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

Pause. "Are you scared?"

"No." Naruto winced at the lack of hesitation.

He opened his mouth, trying to force the words out. They came out in a hoarse whisper. "I am."

"Scaredy cat."

Naruto laughed, pointing at the teen. "I_ knew_ you'd say that! Bastard!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, leaning back onto his hands.

"Would you have really killed us, Sasuke?"

"Who?" He knew who.

"Me. Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke tilted his head toward the sky. "My revenge entailed it."

"Why?"

"I wanted to destroy Konoha, and you tied me to that hateful village."

Naruto knew better than to probe into that thought process.

"But," Sasuke began suddenly. "But, if there had been another way to become strong... without leaving the village – if I'd have known of one, I'd... maybe I would have stayed." _Because maybe I liked Team 7. Maybe I liked those stupid missions that wasted our time. Maybe I liked them, maybe I liked everything about that time, because we were together._

Naruto turned to him, and though Sasuke couldn't see him, he knew the boy was giving him one of those huge grins. "That's good, Sasuke."

The blond coughed, hacking, and he leaned back onto the post. "Sasuke, can you... lie me on the grass?"

Sasuke did so, gently, feeling the jarring motion of laying Naruto's spindly spine against the ground even so. The blond was heaving for breath.

"I hope I've done Itachi right." Sasuke's voice was quiet.

He heard the blond turn to him, quietly laughing. He knew Naruto was smiling.

Naruto clenched his fist and pressed it against Sasuke's, who couldn't help but smile as he remembered that from so long ago – how it must have stuck in Naruto's head, for him to remember at a time like this.

_When two high class shinobi clash, they can talk with their fists._

"I'm sure Itachi's proud of you..."

Naruto's voice was quiet, so _weak-_

"I'm proud of you too, so... let's meet again in another life, Sasuke."

Sasuke felt Naruto's fist unclench, and heard his final breath. He choked back a sob.

"Usuratonkachi."

And as the world ended, all Sasuke could think was that if Naruto had been alive to hear that, he'd have just laughed anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Why do I do this to myself.**

**Constructive criticism all the way comrades! Sorry for any Sasuke OOCness. I can't really imagine Sasuke in this situation, so...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't normally write my notes before I write a chapter, but I just want to let you all know that the feedback from my last chapter was very encouraging, so thank you all! I'm not sure uh, why I got so much feedback – but I'm immensely grateful. Especially about the characterisation thing. It's helpful to know, so thank you very much. I appreciate it! I'll try my best to kick the main story off, but it's gonna be mostly cutesy here. With people getting to know each other and stuff. I like some cute stuff anyway... makes a change from the traumatic character deaths.**

**Thanks for the reviews... time to get to the chapter!**

* * *

_ "Brat, what-" _

_ "Ero-sennin!"_

* * *

Itachi enjoyed mornings.

There was something very refreshing about morning air, and his favourite was definitely in winter. He adored stepping out into the cool morning air, and Itachi knew that nothing else could truly eradicate his sleepy state but the crisp winter mornings. Sasuke had never shared that opinion, something that he knew well – especially when his only opportunities to train Sasuke had been before attending a mission assignment. His little brother's early morning awakenings always ended up being traumatic; Sasuke was always a crank, and Itachi always ended up late.

But he supposed he could spare any amount of time for some training with Sasuke. The smile on his little brother's face was heart warming.

Today, he'd not been assigned anything, but had only one destination in mind. He'd decided to retrace the steps of the time travelers; he'd sensed them approach the Training Grounds, and had to hope that he'd correctly identified that path, and that it had stopped there. Any further was well and truly out of his range, but Itachi had to confirm that their bodies had indeed disappeared. Their corpses remaining here... although Itachi was sure it would shift any remaining blame off of him, it would definitely screw everything up. And he might end up with the blame anyway.

Walking through the streets only emphasised Itachi's love for Konoha. He adored the town. It's every street was so beautiful, so quaint and wondrous to him. He loved the village and he loved those within it, and Itachi had slept better than he'd ever last night. It was a calm sleep, a deep, replenishing sleep that was a welcome difference to the fearful, anxious insomnia he'd had the night before. Although he'd have sold his future and clan for the safety of Konoha and the prevention of war, he felt a satisfying happiness fall upon him that he'd had to sacrifice neither.

Though, his father.

Itachi had often, and continuously felt the unending praise and love from his father. And he appreciated it; but Itachi often saw Sasuke's struggles, his frustration when his father would turn away at his commendable efforts in favour of Itachi's natural genius. It angered Itachi, to see his little brother shunned for his lesser amount of talent. To Itachi, Sasuke was a genius; what did it really mean, for Itachi to be born better than Sasuke? It showed nothing of Itachi's strength, or determination.

Itachi was by no means glad that their father was dead; it was hard. Harder to witness than anything before, and he wondered how he could have killed their father, and their mother. All of their relatives, dead by his hand – the guilt would have left Itachi dead inside anyway. Yet, he knew he would've done it anyway; for the sake of avoiding the ruthless, brutal war he witnessed as a child. War made his stomach turn. Itachi knew well that it would have been his duty to kill the Uchihas. Just because they meant something to him, did not mean that they were not trying to instigate war. War that would kill many, many, many more people – all with loved ones, like Itachi.

It was for the greater good, Itachi had thought. That whole sleepless night, he had said that to himself many times in a futile effort to feel better.

So, he supposed he could cope with it. But he knew more than anything that his father had been kind. Glasses tinted by the prideful bitterness of mutiny and war, yet kind. In death, Itachi forgave him.

As he reached the Training Grounds, Itachi saw a strange sight. He approached the training posts, and found not bodies, but two items.

The first was a chokuto. It was sheathed, and he faintly remembered seeing it equipped on the older Sasuke. Itachi supposed it must have slipped off of his clothing somehow and became a separate entity, remaining in this time. The second item he had not seen at first glance, but was now clear; a small necklace, of the likes he had not seen before. A shimmering turquoise stone, on a black cord. It captured many colours, and as Itachi cautiously picked it up, the light it caught and refracted was of many beautiful hues. Although, the Uchiha could not help but think that he had seen it somewhere, but the exact time escaped him – and though he felt irritation for the memory having slipped out of his grasp, he decided to let it slide. Itachi picked up the two items and went on his way home.

Coming back to this new home was something that made the Uchiha slightly sad. There was something nice about coming home to his mother as she cooked or sang to herself quietly. She was a sweet woman, and Itachi had always had immense respect for her. Rumour had it that she had been a formidable shinobi as well, but he preferred her as the harmless, worrisome mother. The idea of her regularly putting herself in harm's way brought Itachi a strange discomfort.

The home he'd been given wasn't bad by any means, but it lacked... something. It was somewhat large, the only sign that the Hokage approved of Itachi's actions so far. He'd had no chance to meet with the Sandaime as of yet, and Itachi could only pray it went well, lest their whole plan fall to pieces before his eyes.

Nonetheless, Itachi had plans for the decoration, and he'd been pleased to see he'd been given a very decently sized spare bedroom. Little had the Hokage known that Itachi had designated that room for Naruto. Yet, though he felt excited to take care of the child, he was anxious. Though the Naruto of the future was a pleasant, rambuctious boy, children were not indicative of a person's future self.

Closing the door, Itachi hung his coat above the door and set the kettle on the stove. As he made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom, he wondered where to put the two posessions.

He'd had an honest respect for the two, and Itachi knew that it must have been tremendously hard to do what they did. He knew he could not tuck these two possessions away and pretend they did not exist for the sake of secrecy. For the sake of their brave owners, they deserved respect. Because no-one would know of their sacrifices. No-one would know of the goodbyes Naruto could not give, no-one would know of the revenge Sasuke gave up on. They were heroes.

Shisui had once told Itachi that the true heroes, the most admirable heroes, were the ones that lay in the dark, laying down their hopes and dreams for their village. They were true shinobi, and Itachi knew that those two, Sasuke and Naruto, were that indeed. The existence of this new, improved world, relied totally on their bravery, their willingness to change the future. Every single person in this world had something to thank them for, and yet they died in selfless seclusion.

Itachi ran his finger against the edge of the blade; it was fantastically sharp, yet clearly worn; Sasuke had been a shinobi in ranks of his own.

The Uchiha walked to his double bed, and leaning over carefully, plunged the sword in the centre of the wall above the bed. He took the necklace, carefully wrapping it and letting it dangle from the hilt of the chokuto. He stood back, admiring his handiwork, before nodding.

Together. As they should be.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi did not flinch. "Is this is a summons to the Hokage?"

"Yes, sir." It appeared that Hawk had not forgotten Itachi's position as ANBU captain. The strange familiarity of the phrase made him smile; he'd not been expecting to hear such a thing ever again.

"I'll be there in a moment."

* * *

_The sky was blinding._

_ The air around him was thick with dust and debris, the crackling, scraping noise of rubble collapsing around him the only noise. Ah, no, he could hear his breathing, a noise filled with anxiety and fear- and he squinted in the light, to see someone he had been so desperate to see-_

_ Though Naruto could remember nothing of the like, he was so sure that this person was more important to him than anything, that finally reaching here- had he been running? Ah, he couldn't remember-_

_ Naruto tried to turn his head, to see the the presences beside him – is that Sakura-chan? - but his gaze was stook to this blinding view, the light that strained his eyes but he yearned to see that figure, that he'd been chasing for- had he? He couldn't quite-_

_ "Sasuke."_

_ The name passed by his lips without his permission, and though Naruto sought even just to knot his eyebrows, they were not his own, his hands and eyes and eyebrows all locked into position – his thoughts the only conscious part at all -_

_ Naruto got a brief look around, and saw that they were in a crater like hole, with the figure standing on the edge, looking down upon them. It was a boy, no – a young adult, with a hand on his hip and no expression at all. If he looked hard enough, there was a slight look of disdain, but he could decipher no more. The sun made him look almost like an angel, but the boy had black hair, black eyes and a pallid complexion. Looking at him made Naruto feel cold, but he was unable to shiver anyway._

_ "Naruto, huh?"_

_ Abruptly, Naruto remembered that name, the recall coming to him all at once but- oh, his head hurt – wasn't he that orphan, like him too, his family had died – wait, what, that wasn't it at all – they were friends once weren't they? No, I hate that guy! Do I? I haven't even spoken to him before-_

_ Then he found a cold, hand on his shoulder, and for a split second he recognised the gesture as a hug, but then there was a glint of cold metal and he found himself saying words, words that he didn't understand or care about, because there was a sword that this boy was swinging down from the side, cold and quick and why wouldn't he move, he was just standing there like it was fine, like he hadn't seen the blade at all- and the glint of metal made his eyes ache as the light beamed by them, the full glory of the midday sun burning through his retina-_

* * *

"Naruto."

Naruto sat up so fast that the crack of his neck could be likened to the snap of a whip. He wailed for a moment, both hands clutching the back of his neck. As he cried out in pain, he couldn't help but notice that his voice was very different to his dream's- ah, what? He couldn't really remember his dream anyway... Naruto didn't dwell on the subject, instead looking up at the comfortable shinobi that was perched on his windowsill. He had a book open, but the blond couldn't tell whether he was reading it or not behind his ANBU mask.

"Hokage-sama has summoned you."

Naruto looked up, pouting. "The old man? But, but- I wanted to_ sleep_." Nonetheless, he swung his legs out of bed and shuffled over to the cooker, grumbling all the while. He understood the importance of when he got a ninja to come pick him up.

The shinobi shrugged. "He requested you make haste. So don't be late, Naruto." With that, the man disappeared in a whirl of leaves, and Naruto twitched. Everyone always knew his name.

"When _is_ late?!" he huffed, leaving a pan of water to boil for some morning ramen.

Honestly, Naruto was a bit unsure about this affair. Usually, he was the one to drop in on the Sandaime. When he got bored, he'd swing in, regardless of what "important representatives" or "daimyo" were visiting at the time. Though the visitors sometimes appeared a bit irked, the old man would just smile tiredly and gesture to one of the chairs to the side for Naruto to sit in whilst he waited.

Naruto had no doubt this was about one of his scandalous pranks, again, or it was something that was a little less fun. Like when people reported him doing things he genuinely hadn't done – getting people to believe him wasn't the easiest task. Though, the Sandaime knew straight away. Naruto took great pride in his pranks, so why wouldn't he take credit for them? No one else was ever as easily convinced.

The blond racked his head, trying to think of something he'd done in the past few days that could have pissed him off. Nothing really came to mind – Naruto hadn't done much the past few days. He'd just... functioned. He'd felt a bit sad, these past couple days. Though Naruto did try and make the most of what he had, because, after all, he had a freedom some kids would die for – he would have given it up without a second thought for some family.

His eyes snapped open, tiredness completely gone.

The angel!

But the moment Naruto remembered, his heart sank. Though, he had thought it was an angel, that pale man who came to him in the night, with the soothing voice and very dark eyes – he'd wished for a family, and woke up with nothing. It was obviously not true. There was the very good question as to why the man was there in the first place, but Naruto decided he was just a weirdo. If he saw him again, Naruto would be angry. For a moment, his hopes had been high.

Now that he thought about it, the angel reminded him of that clan. That kid that he always saw, but he hadn't quite caught the name of- their family were all like that; pale, and dark haired and dark eyed. Naruto pouted._ It was probably just a dream anyway._

He dressed quickly and turned the cooker off before leaving. His appetite was gone.

* * *

The Hokage looked pensive, wrinkled skin knotted in thought. He took a moment before spoke to Itachi.

"Uchiha Itachi. You have directly disobeyed the order of the Council, and you are under suspicion of the murder of Uchiha Fugaku, and Shimura Danzo. Some even say you killed Uchiha Shisui, a man I knew to be your close friend."

The Uchiha kneeled before the Hokage.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "What say you to these accusations?"

Though the Sandaime was forcing a stern, cold tone into his voice, the conviction in it was lacking. He'd always enjoyed the company of Itachi; commanding him was a pleasure, his mission reports were concise enough to cut down his paperwork whilst never (to his knowledge) leaving out essential detail, and he was a genuinely kind boy. He'd accepted the cold-hearted mission from Danzo without complaint, and Sarutobi admired Itachi's pacifistic nature. It was rare in the naïve youth of Konohagakure.

Itachi bowed his head. "I cannot say much to you as subordinate to superior, but I request that we speak as equals, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage nodded.

The young boy stood up, looking the Sandaime straight in the eye. "Hokage-sama-"

"Sarutobi," he said, with a gentle look. "If we are equals, call me Sarutobi."

"Sarutobi-san." Itachi's eyes had a pained look, and the Hokage was struck with the feeling that every word that Itachi was going to say would be more meaningful than he'd ever understand. "I value my duty to Konoha as a Konoha shinobi above all else, Hoka- Sarutobi-san. But certain circumstances forced me to realise that the consequences of this upon Sasuke, upon Konoha, will be unlike anything I had predicted. I realised that in order to stop both the coup d'etat and the Uchiha massacre, my only option was to assassinate the leader of both conspiracies.

"It was hard," Itachi said quietly. "It was hard, but I knew that Danzo was not a good man anyway. Surely you must've known of the force he had been gathering, behind the guise of a 'disbanded' ROOT organisation. Taking in orphaned children and moulding them into soulless machines. It's an efficient workforce, but nothing more. It's cruel and inhumane.

"My father committed an even worse crime. Even with an Uchiha rule, such mutiny within Konoha would only lead to war. Bloodshed without thought or reason, not for the sake of anyone but himself." Itachi clenched his fists. "ROOT had the purpose of protecting the village at all costs, but my father could not even hide behind such a ruse."

The Hokage said nothing.

"That does not change the fact," Itachi said, words choking in his throat as he found himself beginning to cry. "that I loved my father."

His fists clenched, and Itachi's expression contorted with sorrow as he turned his gaze to the ground. For a moment, he could not shake his father's final words, speaking of his wife, as they ricocheted around the confines of his skull. Itachi opened his mouth to speak, but choked once before the words finally came. "Leaving my mother as a widower was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime didn't correct him, and it stood unsaid that the massacre would have been a thousand times worse. For Mikoto would recover, with the support of friends, family, and her two sons; but to leave a child, friendless and orphaned with no relatives to speak of, was the cruellest deed one could commit.

Yet Itachi's posture, despite the nerve-wracking torment and pain, stood strong, and he opened his eyes to meet the Hokage's gaze. His voice was strong and smooth. "However, Sarutobi-san, I had nothing to do with Shisui's death. That, I can swear."

"I have no doubt," Sarutobi said. He bridged his hands in front of his face, a habit he'd taken on when thinking. "I will issue no penalty, Itachi, but only because I am going to leave my faith in your judgment, and I know you to be a loyal man. This act was not out of cowardice, but goodwill. Do not abuse this chance, Itachi."

Itachi felt his posture relax slightly with the relief that he wasn't going to be imprisoned indefinitely; it would have no doubt created rifts in his plan. The Uchiha smiled. "I would not dare, Sarutobi-san." He took up a kneeling position before the Hokage once again. "I have a request of you, Hokage-sama."

"What?"

"I request guardianship of Uzumaki Naruto."

"Funny," the Hokage smiled, his light, weary chuckle echoing through the room. "I was just going to suggest the same."

"Oi! Old man! What're you getting me up for?!"

"Ah, Naruto, come sit here." The Hokage motioned to the guest seats on his right, and Naruto dawdled over and sat, feet swinging above the floor. He took a look at the Hokage and sat on his knees to elevate his height, swiping the Sandaime's hat off him and bridging his hands in front of his face with a perfectly imitated serious expression. For a moment, their expressions were identical, until the Hokage took his hat back with some mild irritation.

Itachi blinked, and laughed abruptly, the bright sound quick and fleeting but the humour remaining in his eyes. Naruto was wide eyed, but then he smiled too, a huge grin that made his cheek bulge and his eyes squint.

The Hokage coughed, eye twitching. "Ehem. I have a proposal for you, Naruto."

"What's a proposal? Is it, uh... like, a present?"

"You could say that." Sarutobi motioned to Itachi. "What do you think of the idea of a guardian?"

"Guardian?"

"Someone who lives with you and takes care of you. Like a parent."

Naruto folded his arms, cheeks become red with anger. "I don't need a nanny! I'm fine on my own!" Naruto definitely preferred being on his own than living with a nanny. They were always so cold to him, so mean for no reason at all! He'd given up after the fourth one, when she'd started leaving him in parts of Konoha he didn't know at all. The blond hated being lost, because when he tried to ask for directions, no one ever, ever helped him.

But the stranger he didn't recognise leaned forward, eyes gentle as he held out his hand to Naruto. "No, not like a nanny, or a parent. Like a big brother."

The blond's eyes lit up. He'd never had a big brother before! "Really?"

The Uchiha smiled, nodding, and Naruto took his outstretched hand and shook it, his tiny hand haphazardly shaking with the larger one.

"Since there are many rumours circulating in the Uchiha clan at the moment, staying in the compound isn't ideal. I've set out a property for you, Itachi. It's officially part of Konoha land, but the property is a renovated farm house. It'll keep you far away from any conflict."

"What?" Naruto's expression betrayed complete cluelessness.

Itachi poked the child in the forehead. "If you want to, you can live with me."

"With you?"

"Yeah. In a house, together. We can decorate your room however you want."

Naruto's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Like,_ family?_"

"Like family."

_That angel! My wish... it came true! A family!_

As Naruto jumped across his desk and took Itachi onto the floor by his torso, Sarutobi groaned. Reorganising the wrecked piles of paperwork that Naruto had strewn would be work enough, but he knew the legislation that would come with Itachi's doings would give him an aneurysm. Sarutobi could only hope he died painlessly before the day was out.

* * *

"So what's your favourite food?"

"Ramen!"

"I... don't know how to make that."

"Really? You just put the hot water in for 3 minutes, and-"

Itachi twitched, shuffling the boxes of possessions about his arms to remain comfortable with the heavy weight. "I mean homemade ramen."

"Wha-? Who can make that?"

"My mother."

Naruto gasped, eyes becoming filled with adoration and respect. "She must be amazing."

"It's just ramen-"

"Yeah, yeah, but can _you _make it?"

"Well-"

"See! That's what I mean! The power to make ramen is a power to be respected!" Naruto folded his arms, eyes looking admiringly into the sky as though he were looking upon a beautiful, ethereal princess.

"I'm not too sure about that..."

"I bet you can't make it!"

"I can't."

"Well, I can't respect you then!"

"But it's just ramen!"

"If it's_ just_ ramen, then_ just _make it!"

"Fine- fine! Ramen for tea!"

"_Yes!_"

Itachi backtracked the conversation, desperately trying to find out how he'd been roped into cooking something he'd never cooked in his life by some obnoxious blonde child. He gave up.

"Where can I buy ingredients?"

Naruto shrugged. "Ask the old guy in Ichiraku Ramen! He makes the best ramen in the world, so."

The Uchiha settled the boxes on the table. The house was quaint and pretty; the walls needed painting, and he would get to decorating Naruto's room as soon as he could, but he liked the house. It had a very traditional feeling, having been the traditional working house of a man who'd never done a day of shinobi work in his life. The sliding doors and tatami flooring reminded him of the compound, but in an older, prettier way. Itachi had already taken a liking to the place, and had began setting small decorative items on the mantlepiece and walls.

Even better was the land that came with it; the woman who had escorted him here had informed him that the land in front and behind the home was theirs. It was extensive, but fantastic. The land behind the home was large, the farthest parts of it filled with forestry and overgrowth, and the front was a garden with plants that desperately needed care. Itachi loved the character in the place; the Uchiha complex hadn't had much in the way of botany, and now he was outside of the choking confines of the clan, he was eager to exercise an interest in making his garden look acceptable. The back of the land was also perfect for training, so Itachi had no doubt that training Naruto would be even easier than before.

He had thought about why this land was so cheap, but the answer came easy to him as soon as he realised. A home that required repair and decoration, and a home that was so traditional, was not in the common shinobi interest. Agriculture wasn't a common trade in Konoha anymore, and any regular non-shinobi citizen took full advantage of the fact that the walls of the village provided great protection. Shinobi villages, and brand new threats, were appearing by the day – it was unlikely any untrained civilian would want to be outside of possible protection.

Itachi supposed he didn't need to worry about such a thing as much. He was grateful, too; if a matter arose that he had to tend to, escaping inconspicuously would be much, much easier.

Though he suspected the Hokage had just found an empty lot and been glad to throw it off onto someone, before it became a small hideout for a gang or something similar.

"Are you hungry now?"

"Yes! Ramen, please." Naruto grinned.

Itachi sighed.

* * *

Now, whilst Itachi thought he knew very, very little about making ramen, he realised he didn't know anything; their mother had made it for them on a couple occasions, but he'd not asked about the recipe. He also had the problem of giving it some sort of nutrional value that was not salt. The food was heinously salty, but nothing more. He'd asked the young girl at Ichiraku Ramen if Naruto liked any specifically vegetables, which had caused her to burst out laughing and explain that the boy did not like any. This made his job far harder.

She'd offered to show him the step by step procedure.

"So, to make the noodles, you gotta mix about this much flour and egg and water, and you gotta mix it like this-" Ayame slowly combined them, the flour largely outweighing the egg and water. Her hands had the experienced motions of an expert, and her portions did too; Itachi wished she would be more specific with the measurements.

"Knead it, put loads of flour everywhere, make sure it's not too sticky, and then you have to leave it for 30 minutes. Then you've gotta roll it out, and fold it and cut it up, use so so much flower! Cut it into little noodle strips, like this – and then boil it for 4 minutes, put it in hot water slowly – and after that, drain 'em, and add broth!"

"Does Naruto like any specific type?"

Ayame nodded vigorously. "Yep, he loves miso! With extra pork."

"Are there any vegetables I can put in at all?"

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "Corn, onions, bamboo shoots... spinach. You can sort of put anything in, but no other meat. It's a pork soup. Fishcakes go down alright, I guess..."

Itachi just felt his heart sinking. _See, she says that..._

* * *

Naruto stopped for a moment to recognise the smell from the kitchen. His stomach grumbled. He grinned; miso was his favourite. _Ayame-chan must have told him!_

He continued unpacking his things. He noticed Itachi had... not too much really, but about the same as him in stuff. He'd collected boxes of stuff from his house too, but Naruto sort of expected him to have a lot. Naruto knew he didn't have much, because a lot of the time when he wanted to buy stuff, he'd be turned down for some reason or other. No one else got turned down, and it was really unfair, but nothing he did changed it, so sometimes Naruto gave up. A lot of the time.

But this guy, who had introduced himself as Itachi, had very little. But a lot of books. Naruto had tried to read books at a point, but he did not understand any of the kanji at all! Other kids knew a bit, but he knew next to none. It made everything incredibly difficult, so reading a proper grown-up book with lots and lots of kanji is something he'd never be able to do. Naruto huffed; this meant this Itachi guy was really clever! Although Naruto thought he was a grown-up, he realised that Itachi was only a teenager. More than twice his age, but not a grown-up! That meant he was even better as a big brother.

Now that was unbelievable. Naruto felt his heart pound happily when he remembered the angel. He couldn't remember much of the encounter, and the more he thought about it, the harder it was to remember the angel's face, but Naruto knew he hadn't believed in the angel, but the angel had made his wish come true! Maybe it was a reward for his good behaviour. He hadn't pulled any pranks for a week, so it could've been! Naruto decided that good behaviour was very, very good. He had a lot to thank for, because his big brother was so nice. Everyone was so mean to him, they wouldn't even look at him. No one would play with him, but Itachi-nii-san would! He was so kind, so clever! It was amazing.

"Naruto, how much do you want?"

Naruto grinned widely. "A lot!"

There was the noise of shuffling and the clanging of porcelain on a counter, before Itachi called him in. On the table was miso ramen, and Naruto leapt up onto the chair and split his chopsticks before Itachi could say anything at all.

"Itadakimasu!"

The food was disappearing before Itachi's eyes, and before he'd had the chance to ask if Naruto wanted any condiments, spices or extra salt, the food was gone. The Uchiha was genuinely unsure if that was a good sign, or any sign at all, seeing as this kid seemed to have a bottomless stomach.

The blond turned to him, eyebrows knotted. "The noodles were really nice! But the broth needed more miso, and more salt! Also, why did you put vegetables in!? I hate vegetables!"

Itachi took note that the vegetables were, however, gone. "Did they taste that bad?"

"Well, no, but-"

The Uchiha smiled. "Good. You need vegetables, Naruto. We start training tomorrow."

"Wha-!?"

With a delighted outcry, Itachi found himself tackled to the ground again. He felt himself laughing, as Naruto began babbling happily about how he was the best big brother ever. The Uchiha found himself glad he had chosen the path not traveled.

* * *

_Dear Angel-san,_

_ Uh, or Angel. Angel-kun? Angel-sama?_

_ Were you a boy or a girl? I can't remember. You had a bit of a boy voice, though._

_ Thank you for your present! It was the best present ever. Itachi-nii-san isn't the best at making noodles, but they're still yummy! And no-one has ever made me noodles before! Well, except when I buy the noodles from Ichiraku. But it doesn't matter that they weren't that yummy. Someone made me my dinner!_

_ And, guess what! Guess what guess what- Itachi-nii-san said he's going to train me! Isn't that so cool!? He's so clever, I bet he's a good ninja too! And then I will be the best ninja that ever lived, and I'll become Hokage! Everyone who is super mean to me will have to respect me then!_

_ So! I... thank you! Thank you very much, Angel-sama. It was the best gift ever! I promise I will not pull mean pranks on people... for a while. Hehe._

_ Thank you very much!_

_ The #1 Uzumaki Naruto_

* * *

**A/N: More was meant to happen in this chapter, but it would have gotten too long. Also, if you were curious, the path not traveled refers to naturally, the divergence in Itachi's actions; he did not kill the clan and has instead taken in Naruto. Hence, the path not traveled. Aw. How cute. Prepare for plot! Reviews always very well appreciated. Constructive criticism appreciated also!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: And now the plot begins! Honestly, the response to my update... ah, it's been overwhelming. I have no words! Everyone has been so generous in their compliments, it really does make me smile. Thank you all so much for your support! And don't worry about Sasuke getting cut out of last chapter. A lot of this chapter was intended for the last one, but was cut out. Some of the things you guys have said – man. You've all got high expectations, so I refuse to let you down! This story is going to be a pretty epic length.  
I'm sorry this is out late! Stupid "manage stories" feature was down for a day. This was due out yesterday... sorry. :( Thanks so much for all your support, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"What human dares summon me?"

"What God dares call me human?"

Booming laughter. "Oh, ho, ho! You're far from a God, but not human indeed. More of a snake, or a rat, crawling and writhing like scum as you evade death. Pathetic."

"If I may, I require your help."

There was a deep, thick silence. "We Shinigami are not slaves."

"I'd ask nothing of the sort. Rather, I am under the impression there is something rather valuable in that stomach of yours, and I'll certainly make it worth your while."

* * *

The walking back and forth had really, really made Naruto's legs ache.

But as he and Itachi walked that path, back and forth, he had walked past that pier. And that child had not moved a muscle. The black haired boy Naruto had often seen, though he couldn't quite recall his name – was on that pier, quietly, unmoving.

The blond and Itachi had talked animatedly – well, Naruto had spoke and Itachi had listened intently – for the whole day of moving possessions and furniture, and yet that boy had settled there before they had began, and Naruto suspected that he was still there now that they were done.

So he was going to ask.

"Itachi-nii-san..."

The Uchiha smiled at him gently. "What is it, Naruto?" He was changing the bedcovers on Naruto's bed; they were orange, a colour he'd bought Naruto at the boy's request.

"Did you see that boy?"

Itachi nodded. Naruto knew he had, because as he'd learned, Itachi-nii-san was really, really clever.

The blond shrugged, hands fumbling behind his back as he shuffled his feet. He felt nervous, and he didn't really know why, but-

"Do you want to go see him?"

"Well, yeah..." Naruto said, beginning to babble. "I dunno, Itachi-nii-san, he looked sad and he didn't leave the whole day, so- uh, could we ask him to come around? We could play, or something-"

The older boy nodded, smiling slightly as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Don't worry, Naruto. We'll ask. Come on."

Naruto nodded, and felt an anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel like he shouldn't have asked at all.

* * *

They were approaching the pier, and the sun had set a while ago; the sky was still bright, illuminating the far ends of the water, but it had lost any sort of romantic look. Though, Itachi was sure that Sasuke had not been there to gaze at the beauty. The raven had sympathised with Sasuke through his trauma, but he was detached. Itachi had to detach himself; it was not done by option or anything that could be confused with choice. It was necessity.

Sasuke knew that, and Itachi had briefly explained to the boy that there was trouble with Itachi and the family, and that he had to move out. The young boy had not taken it well, taking on a both sullen and tearful look. The elder Uchiha had offered his guidance if Sasuke ever needed it, though Itachi knew very well that Sasuke needed to mourn. And so Itachi had let him sit, thinking, for as long as he would need.

The night had grown colder the moment the sun had disappeared, and now the empty scope of the water and the blistering winds that came with open space were sure to daunt the young Sasuke. Itachi decided it was time to speak to him.

Sasuke didn't even turn when Itachi approached, but jerked in surprise when Naruto swung his legs over the edge of the pier to sit beside him. The blond looked cautious as he tried to force out words. "Uh... why've you sat here all day?"

The younger Uchiha didn't say anything, but Itachi noticed his hands clenching on the edge of the pier.

Naruto said nothing, and Itachi felt faintly surprised by the level of understanding in the small boy. He felt a pang of guilt for having judged the boy so quickly; the blond knew the depth of sorrow that was weighing Sasuke down just by a silence.

After a minute of quiet, Itachi sat down to Sasuke's right. "Otouto, this is Naruto. He's staying with me."

Sasuke closed his eyes, staring straight down into the dark, murky water. "A replacement?"

"Never, Sasuke. In fact, I was about to ask you if you want to come over to my new house. I think Mother is staying over with our relatives."

There was a long silence, and Sasuke exhaled deeply and looked up. "That'd be nice."

"_Yeah! _Sleepover! Do you like ramen?! Itachi-nii-san, can we make ramen?!"

Itachi felt his ears ringing at the blond's outburst, and whereas he had a grand amount of tolerance, he saw Sasuke's jaw tighten as he gritted his teeth.

"Wha- whaa!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulders faster than the blond could react, and pushed him harshly into the water below. The blond surfaced, hair stuck to his skin as he spluttered angrily.

"What did I do?! It's freezing!"

For a moment, the Uzumaki waited for a hand to help him up. With a huff, he reached up to haul himself onto the pier- but instead grabbed Sasuke's ankle, pulling with a force that caused the raven to wind himself on the pier before being dragged into the cold water.

Itachi found himself laughing.

Sasuke surfaced like a drowned rat, turning an angry gaze to Naruto. The younger Uchiha swam to the side of the pier before pulling himself up, ringing out his hair and keeping his arms straight by his sides as he began walking. Naruto tried to walk beside him, and eventually Sasuke relented, walking at a regular pace. Nonetheless, the raven folded his arms and looked scornfully at the blond.

"Just so you know, I hate ramen. So we're not having any."

"Whaaat?!"

* * *

"Anpan?"

"Anpan."

"You want anpan?"

"Anpan."

"Anpan? What's anpan?"

"You don't know what anpan is?"

"No! What's anpan?!"

Sasuke turned away from Naruto with a disdainful look, and Itachi sighed.

"Anpan is a sweet roll, with red bean paste in the middle."

Naruto gasped. "I love red bean! Can we have red bean soup, too? Pleaaase?"

"Are you that hungry?" Itachi said. _He inhaled that ramen I made him earlier. Of course he's that hungry..._

Naruto nodded vigorously, rocking back and forth on his crossed legs. Sasuke looked disgusted at the fact that the blond hadn't had anpan before._ I didn't know anpan was such a serious subject here..._

Itachi stood up, heading to the kitchen to prepare the food, and there was a prolonged silence as the raven looked blankly ahead, and Naruto stared curiously at Sasuke.

"So, what's your name?"

"I told you."

"Well... I forgot."

"Too bad."

Naruto clenched his hands by his sides, fuming with rage. "I'll just call you bastard then!"

"I'll call you moron, moron."

"Asshole!"

"Dead last."

"Fuck you!"

"Is that all, usuratonkachi?"

The blond leaned forward, quiet and cold-

"Teme!"

-and swiftly punched the raven in the face.

For a moment, Sasuke reeled in shock, before kicking the blond in the stomach. They became a violent blur of swung fists and kicking, and as Itachi came in to see what the fuss was all about, he was truly surprised by what he saw. The eldest Uchiha had seen through Sasuke's gaze the life had lived before – and then, it had seemed, by the emotions tinting those memories, that it was only Naruto that had ever managed to get beneath his skin. Nothing seemed to have changed; though Itachi knew his little brother to have a sweet, childish exterior around him, he was generally calm. But this little blond boy had sent his younger brother into a rage; as Itachi deduced the fight, he noted that his little brother wasn't employing any of his taijutsu, choosing to lash out violently and angrily.

Itachi was quite impressed at how little Naruto had well and truly riled up his younger brother.

"Otouto. Naruto. What are you doing?"

Sasuke froze, allowing Naruto to land a clean punch in his gut. The blond noticed Itachi a second too late, slowly pulling back his hand from the heaving Sasuke's stomach and giving the eldest Uchiha sibling a hesitant smile.

"Ehehe... sorry?"

Itachi walked over slowly, his footsteps echoing and ominous in the half-decorated room. "Naruto. Stand up."

The blond stood up, fidgeting all the while. "Nee, Itachi-nii-san..."

"Don't call him that."

Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise. The boy's tone was positively venomous.

"Sasuke, you stand up too."

The raven gave Itachi a fierce glare, and Naruto felt some slight killing intent_. What the hell?!_

Itachi looked at them, gaze cold and reprimanding. "Stand next to each other."

They did, Naruto looking mildly annoyed about the situation, but Sasuke looking murderous. Itachi had no doubt that if he'd have given him the chance, he'd have attacked Naruto with an intent to maim or kill.

"Why were you two fighting?"

Sasuke had no intention of responding at all, but Naruto 'hmm'ed for a moment before shrugging and rubbing the back of his head with one hand sheepishly. "Dunno... think I asked him his name but he wouldn't tell me, because he's a bastard." The blond pulled tongues at Sasuke at the end of the sentence, proceeding to fold his arms and lift his jaw flippantly away from the raven.

Itachi sighed. "All this, over that?"

Sasuke bowed his head slightly, hands fisted at his sides. The strength in that motion was not clear, but his knuckles were so white they were almost translucent on his pallid skin.

"It was his fault!"

"Don't even lie," Sasuke bit out abruptly, the harsh, cold tone of his words making Naruto flinch.

"Yeah, yeah, but you wouldn't tell me your name!"

"You forgot it!"

"But- but I can't help that!" Naruto spluttered. Itachi took a note of his mannerisms and voice; there was a faint attempt to reconcile in his actions, and for a moment the Uchiha felt sorry for him. There was very little chance Sasuke would give an outright sorry to anyone but Itachi even if he was genuinely sorry – let alone in a situation where he was in no way remorseful.

"Be more intelligent then, usuratonkachi."

"Stop_ calling_ me that!"

"Sasuke. Naruto."

The two boys looked up guiltily, and Itachi kept a stern look on his face. "Sasuke, I had an offer for you. I was going to suggest that you begin training with me of a morning, but..."

"Nii-san!" Sasuke whined. "Please! I want to train with you!"

"...this behaviour is unacceptable. No matter whether you like Naruto or not, I'm going to be training you both, and there can be no such fighting. Do you understand?"

They both nodded silently.

"Good. In order to resolve this matter, and to give me an idea of your abilities... outside. Now. I want you two to have a quick taijutsu spar." Itachi motioned to the door, and the two began walking, Sasuke in front.

"Hn."

Itachi could hear a tone of pleasure in that voice, and had no doubt Sasuke was sure he'd defeat Naruto. The eldest Uchiha could not say that he liked Sasuke's attitude towards Naruto at the moment. In their past lives, he'd seen a bond of friendship, no – a bond that signified one soul in two bodies. They were, in all respects, entirely different, and yet there was always a tone of understanding. Naruto always understood Sasuke, and Sasuke always understood Naruto. And though Naruto adored Sasuke, Sasuke was reluctant to admit anything of the sort. But in this time, Itachi noted Naruto's curiosity for Sasuke – and Sasuke's consequential rejection and hatred for such an annoyance. It was unpleasant to realise his brother could be so cruel.

As they made their way out, Sasuke stopped and stood, his posture slouched and his hands in his pockets. Itachi patiently waited for him to take on a fighting stance, but soon realised he was freely expressing his arrogance about just how easy this battle would be. _Otouto..._

Naruto had realised the same. "Oi, asshole! What are you doing?! Get ready!"

Sasuke shrugged. "It won't be necessary."

The blond's eyes flared with anger, a momentary splash of red- and then he ran forward, fists first, swinging one to the side of the Uchiha's head – Sasuke caught it by the wrist, pulling it down and throwing Naruto off balance. He then brought his knee up casually into Naruto's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of the blond, before bringing his forearm forcefully into the side of Naruto's head. The Uzumaki has knocked cleanly off Sasuke's knee and onto the floor, but after coughing harshly for a moment, he swung his legs to meet the Uchiha's ankles.

Although Sasuke had not expected it, he leapt back appropriately. Naruto got up quickly and launched a roundhouse kick at Sasuke, parried by Sasuke's arm. He repeated with the other leg, before Sasuke grabbed his ankle and yanked it so hard Naruto felt as though it'd been dislocated; he fell onto his tail bone, and the raven pressed his foot onto Naruto's ribcage. Though the blond struggled all he could, both hands on his foot, the pressure was on the verge of cracking his ribs. With fire in his eyes, he let go of Sasuke's ankle in forfeit.

He felt humiliated; in front of his brother, who Naruto had been so desperate to impress, he'd been completely wiped out in a minute and a half. But instead of laughing, or looking disappointed, Itachi looked like he was... thinking. Hard.

"Well done, Otouto. But never underestimate your opponent. In a real battle, they will use ninjutsu, and you never know what techniques someone may have up their sleeve. No matter how weak you perceive them to be... people will surprise you. Your speed was great, but Naruto surprised you back there. Stay on your guard, no matter who the opponent is." Despite his somewhat reprimanding tone, Itachi fondly ruffled his younger brother's hair, and Naruto saw a rare blushing smile from Sasuke. The blond watched him carefully; Sasuke's eyes were full of admiration, drinking in Itachi's every word and movement.

Itachi turned to Naruto, and Naruto flinched at the mere movement. The elder Uchiha simply smiled, crouching down to look the blond in the eyes. "Naruto, you're strong. You've got some good force in your kicks, but you need to be more aware of your movements. You left several openings back there; Sasuke only took a couple. Your speed and accuracy needs work, but you've got potential. I can see you're trying your best, and that's important."

The blond felt flush with happiness as he realised Itachi was praising him. Though he'd made some mistakes, he was trying to help him! Naruto smiled at the elder Uchiha, grin wide as Itachi smiled gently back.

"Alright," Itachi said, folding his arms. "Training, tomorrow. Here. At... 6AM."

Naruto let out a whale cry of distress.

"Hn."

"What do you mean, hn!? I can't be up and ready for 6!"

"Can't even wake up on time, usuratonkachi?"

"Hah! I bet I can be here an hour, no, _2_ _hours _early!"

As the two children began arguing loudly, Itachi got the strangest feeling that it wasn't an argument at all.

* * *

Sasuke stared with a look of disgust at his anpan. "Nii-san, the anpan are too crispy."

"Be glad I didn't burn them. I almost forgot about them, because of you two."

The younger Uchiha didn't break his gaze with the sweet roll. The stare was malicious and deductive, and Naruto wondered what exactly Sasuke was trying to do.

"Oi, Sasuke-"

"No."

Sasuke hadn't even blinked yet.

"How do you know what I'm going to ask?!"

"I don't know. But I know it'd be a no."

"How?"

"Because _you're_ asking."

"Wha-"

Itachi had really gotten sick of the arguing, and it had been one day. In fact, it hadn't even been a day; it was the evening, and Sasuke'd only been there a couple hours. But their arguing had drove him absolutely mad. Itachi had never, ever met anyone who could rile Sasuke up at all, and Naruto managed to do it in a matter of seconds.

"When will the red bean soup be ready, Itachi-nii-san?"

Sasuke looked angered by the use of the name. "Shut up, usuratonkachi."

"Stop calling me that, asshole!"

Itachi walked into the kitchen and closed the door. All he could hear now was muffled shouting, but it was better than the incessant arguing right in his ear. Itachi considered himself very, very patient. _But... those two are something else._

"So, you're Sasuke."

He didn't respond.

"And Itachi-nii-san is your brother?"

Sasuke was not going to respond.

"What about your parents?"

No matter how much that boy pissed him off, he was not going to respond.

"Sasuke?"

"Why do you need to know!? Just shut up!"

Naruto looked away, expression downcast as he put his hands in his lap. He pouted. "Fine. Was just askin'."

Sasuke felt a slight twinge of guilt.

"Usuratonkachi. You're Naruto, right?"

The blond perked up immediately, eyes bright and grin wide.

"Yep! The #1 Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

Sasuke no longer felt guilty. _He is so loud. And obnoxious. And annoying. Definitely annoying._

There was a long silence, and Sasuke thought about his victory over Naruto. It had felt good; he wasn't generally someone who enjoyed making other people feel bad, per se- but Naruto annoyed him so much. He'd never met someone who angered him like that. Sasuke even considered himself patient; when someone wasn't as clever as him, he was patient and tolerant. But there was something about this whiskered blond kid that made him want to rip his hair out.

The raven only aspired to be a great shinobi, to work in the Konoha Police Force and take up his father's position – and he was respectful. Mikoto often received praise for her youngest son's wonderful behaviour, good manners and pleasant disposition with other children.

Sasuke felt ashamed. Whenever he spoke to Naruto, an unbridled annoyance just formed in his chest, something that made him feel like this parasite of a child had clung to him and irritated him for a whole lifetime. It turned him into a cold and short tempered shell of himself; he felt pleasure in beating Naruto. And for the life of him, Sasuke could not figure out why.

"Sasuke?"

He felt the urge to say no again, but pushed it down. "What?"

Naruto paused, looking tranquil and somewhat sad. "Today... did someone you love... die?"

The raven felt his breath hitch.

That was right; he'd forgotten. Sasuke had forgotten, and the pain- how could he have- for a moment, with this stupid kid- he'd forgotten all about his father. His mother's grief, it'd all been gone- for a moment, he'd just completely forgotten about his father, and his death. His murder, how someone had killed him with no warning, no explanation, nothing at all-

-and he had forgotten about him, forgotten about his father, for some stupid kid who could barely walk without tripping up.

"My father." Sasuke tightened his fists, feeling his blunt nails leaving crescent rips in the flesh of his palm. "He was murdered."

Naruto was quiet, and Sasuke was glad for it. If the boy had spoken a word, he would have flown into a rage and beaten the everliving shit out of him.

A few minutes passed, and Sasuke felt calmer, but no less sad; as though he was a reservoir filled with cold, still water. It felt like he was underwater, and drowning; everyone's voices sounded strange, everything felt cold and distant, and the world was dull, empty, repetitive.

The blond opened his mouth, but closed it straight afterwards; he shot Sasuke a glance, and he knew that was a silent question. _Can I... speak?_

Sasuke said nothing, closing his eyes in unspoken submission to the request.

"I... I'm sure your father would want you to become an amazing and cool ninja. So... when we start training, let's try our best!"

The raven turned, and saw the child's fist outstretched, with a wide grin. Sasuke knew it for what it really was; a truce.

"Usuratonkachi."

He pressed his fist against Naruto's. Sasuke wasn't smiling of his own volition, but... all he could ever have said on the subject was that the blond had a very, very infectious (and annoying!) smile. So maybe he smiled back.

* * *

"Oi, dobe."

_Mmf..._

"Dobe."

_Ugh._

"Usuratonkachi."

"Don't..."

"Get up."

"Don't call me usuratonkachi..."

"Then get up."

Naruto sat up, stretching and yawning. "Like it'd make a difference."

They'd slept close together, their two futons placed directly next to each other, and Naruto noted with a grimace that he'd been intruding on Sasuke's futon somewhat. He wish he'd woken up early enough to see what Sasuke had slept like.

"You didn't beat me by two hours. Or even one."

Naruto poked him, hard. Sasuke didn't even retaliate, instead rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, well, whatever. Sleep is more important than you."

The blond stumbled to his feet, walking across the sparsely furnished room to push open the sliding door and go into the hall. Sasuke followed suit, and they both noticed that Itachi was already up, in the kitchen, preparing supplies and putting them into a large black bag. The boy looked up to see them for just a moment, smiling before returning to his preparation. "Good morning, you two. Are you prepared for a gruelling training session?"

Naruto groaned. "Itachi-nii-san... why are we up this early?"

"When you're a shinobi, no one will wait to kill you so you can have a sufficient amount of sleep." Itachi held a perpetually positive tone all throughout the morbid explanation.

_Mm. Positive outlook to start the day. _"Thanks." The word dripped with sarcasm.

"I've prepared bentos for us, so go get dressed and we'll start."

Naruto felt a sinking feeling. "What, no breakfast?"

"No one will wait to kill you so you can eat your-"

"Yeah, okay, okay, I get it," Naruto interrupted, crestfallen as he returned to his room to get his clothes.

* * *

"Naruto, what are the rules of being a ninja?"

"Uh... be Hokage."

"No."

Naruto looked very sad.

Itachi poked him in the forehead, setting down his bag. "Well, if I'm honest with you Naruto, there is a whole book of rules, that you'll be assigned to read at some point – the shinobi code of conduct. An important rule is – a shinobi must always put the mission first. Do you know what I mean by that, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head.

"It means the mission comes before your life and the lives of your team mates."

The blond's eyebrows knotted. Itachi continued.

"Sometimes that means risking your life in a dangerous situation. Other times, it means retreating. In the shinobi code of conduct, the mission comes first. Another rule, is that you must always follow the commander's instructions."

"What if they're wrong?" Sasuke intercepted. "Are we not allowed to make choices?"

The elder Uchiha stood before the two, and put his hands on both of their heads. "I'm going to tell you now – the shinobi code of conduct is a load of bullshit."

Sasuke blinked. _Itachi never swears._

"The rule of being a shinobi? Find it out yourself. Some of the rules are useful." Itachi walked on over to his bag. "The rule of following the commander's instructions, implies that you should always obey, whether they're wrong or not. Don't. The true meaning is – don't disobey your superiors for the sake of it, because you could get you, and your team mates killed. Causing friction between the other members will only lead to failure, or death.

"The life of a shinobi is not honourable. My friend Shisui once told me that the most respectable shinobi are those who protect peace from within it's shadow. The village may send you on dishonourable missions, you may do dishonourable things – but shinobi were born to bring about, and protect peace. That is what I hope you two will do in your future."

"Like what, Itachi-nii-san?"

Itachi smiled ruefully at Naruto. "I don't know now – but when the time comes, you'll know. Develop your own ninja way, and become pioneers of peace."

Both Sasuke and Naruto felt as though they were in the presence of someone with far superior intelligence, but drank in every word.

"However, friction between two shinobi, no matter how small, can cause problems on the battlefield." Itachi's expression was serious. "Something as stupid as a dispute can cause death for the whole team. So..."

Naruto's stomach sank. Something was very, very wrong.

Itachi reached into his bag, bringing out two small, square seals. They were both very intricately done, and he put one onto the back of Naruto's wrist, and the other onto the back of Sasuke's, and brought them both up and pressed them cleanly against each other.

Naruto and Sasuke stood in perfect symmetry with their arms up with identical expressions of confusion, until Itachi gleefully watched Sasuke realise. His expression turned into an expression of horror, his jaw dropping.

"...you're going to be stuck together for one week!"

Naruto took a moment to realise, looking at his wrist and back to Itachi until the brick in his chest hit the bottom of his stomach with a resounding bang.

"Oh fuck, you are _not_ doing this to me!"

* * *

The first day was the worst.

Itachi had given them their bentos, as he'd promised – and now it was the matter of trying to eat them. It was fine, since Naruto wasn't left handed, but it ended up so much worse than Sasuke had thought was possible. Sasuke naturally took priority of the joined arm in order to eat his food, allowing him his left arm to hold the box properly – but Naruto was required to keep the bento on his lap to keep it still, and when he lost his takoyaki to the grass, Sasuke genuinely thought the blond was going to cry.

"My takoyaki!"

He was wailing, and Sasuke couldn't move away from the goddamn noise. _Why is he wailing?!_

Eventually, after feeling his eardrums slowly die, Sasuke glared at the blond. "Do you want my tomatoes? Just- just take them!" _PLEASE STOP CRYING!_

"I hate tomatoes! They taste like crap!"

Sasuke brought his arms up to cover his ears from the shrieking, watching balefully as his arm movement caused Naruto's lunch to spill all over the ground. The blond looked at him, eyes full of angry tears. The look turned into a glare, and then a mourning expression.

Sasuke really, really wanted to die.

Then came the act of doing pretty much anything.

Walking turned out to be a problem in itself. They had to keep pace, and Sasuke enjoyed putting his hands in his pockets. Which he could no longer do, without putting Naruto's hand in his pocket, or just outside of it, on his thigh. He was not sure which was weirder, but he wasn't going to find out.

Naruto also seemed to have an irritating habit of putting his hands behind his head as he walked, which lead to Sasuke touching the back of the head, which was fucking weird, and awkward, so that was not an option. In short, the two had to resist any of their normal habits for fear of touching the other strangely.

Even keeping the swinging momentum while walking was a problem. Sasuke cursed the day Itachi suggested they train, and Sasuke cursed himself for having accepted.

A small annoyance as well was having to explain the situation to everyone they met. Sasuke didn't even want to. _Well, uh, as a training exercise, my brother stuck me to some idiot, and now he's crying, now I'm deaf, why, why, why?!_He hated this, and by the minute, he got more and more convinced he hated Naruto, too. Even without the weird hatred that cropped up every time they spoke.

Itachi had tried to explain that the exercise was to do with understanding, or some shit, but they'd both been two indignant to listen. Sasuke tried to remember, and was sure that it had been to do with co-ordinating movements, but Itachi had also mentioned something along the lines with understanding each other.

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what one learned about someone else by being in close range whilst they pissed.

That said, he'd noticed something... strange.

While they walked around, Naruto got... looks. Not just any looks; really, really hateful looks. Some of them just looked mildly disgusted, but others looked like they wanted him well and truly dead. Sasuke studied Naruto's expression, which was as happy-go-lucky as it ever was._ Has he really managed not to notice?_

When a well aimed rock hit Naruto in the eye, Sasuke had his doubts.

But the boy didn't get mad, cry out, or really... do anything. He just doubled over for a second, clutching his eye with his free hand, his jaw clenching with the pain. He hissed slightly when Sasuke turned his body and pried his hand from the wound. It looked... painful. It was more blunt than acute, but the flesh had broken, and it was bleeding freely. Sasuke could tell it hurt.

"Let's... go home, Sasuke. I don't need to buy any kunai today."

Sasuke reeled from that response. "But who would-"

"Let's just _go home!_"

Naruto began running, and Sasuke found himself being dragged by their connected wrist, almost tripping over with the speed the blond was running at.

Sasuke wasn't sure – not at all – but he could swear Naruto was crying.

They'd got home quickly, with Naruto's pace slowing once they'd passed the village gates. The two chuunin at the gate tried to start a conversation with Naruto, but the blond walked past without a word. Although Sasuke had begged for silence... it didn't feel right at all.

They'd reached the house, and Itachi had been outside training. When they arrived, Itachi saw the blood that had dripped down Naruto's cheek and gone in to fetch bandages and antiseptic. Naruto had let Itachi see to the wound, the elder Uchiha's hands tender and careful as they cleaned the blood out. The blond winced when Itachi cleaned the wound of blood directly on the cut, and Itachi placed a square bandage on it carefully, applying the tape securely.

Sasuke directed a look at Itachi, asking him silently about why anyone would do this, why everyone was so horrible to Naruto-

but Itachi merely shook his head.

"Be careful of it Naruto," Itachi said gently. "It's going to bruise. Do you want an icepack to bring the swelling down?"

The blond shook his head, and Sasuke suddenly felt terrible. He wasn't all that sure as to why- he just-

_Maybe Naruto's an annoying moron for a reason._

_ Maybe that's the only way he copes._

* * *

Evening came, and Itachi made Naruto nutritionally sufficient ramen once again.

Naruto had dreaded this, for the sake that he and Sasuke would surely end up fucking it up again, but Sasuke had not started eating. He turned to the raven with a confused look.

"Aren't you gonna eat...?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, scoffing. "Usuratonkachi. I can eat my food cold."

"Wha-?"

But then Naruto got it. He was allowing Naruto full use of his arms by waiting until he was done to eat. The blond felt a wide smile cross his face. _Ah... he's still an asshole, but-_

"Aa! Thanks, Sasuke!"

_He's still a moron, but-_

"...it's fine."

_-maybe I can tolerate him._

* * *

**A/N: How cute. I've sort of had to adapt with Sasuke's character, because this is kid Sasuke, and he's quite a bit nicer than the Sasuke we know of. However, Sasuke still clashes with Naruto a lot- that's not going to change. Thank you so much for all the encouragement I've received! Constructive criticism is always welcome. It'll make the next chapter much better if you tell me what you didn't like! So please review. Also, in my efforts to repair my sleeping pattern... I appear to have ruined it even more. :'(**

**I'm gonna bring in the source of the conflict soon, so enjoy cute Naruto and Sasuke while you can!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thanks so much for all your support! You guys are fantastic. I've tried to make this the best chapter I could, but there was part of it I don't like.**

** In this chapter, there'll be a long explanation of something (should I say? Well, I won't) and if you're too bored to read it (which is totally understandable, though I have stayed true to real life .So if you understand it well enough, feel free to use it. Every detail is accurate) then just skip to past the next line break for the rest of the plot.**

** Thank you so much for all your support. Please review and criticise my work. It helps me SO much!**

* * *

"Let's go outside."

Sasuke rolled over. "Naruto, we're in bed."

"No, let's go outside. Now." The blond tugged at Sasuke's pyjama sleeve, making a faint whining noise.

The raven tugged the material out of the blond's grip with some force, rolling over once again to face away from Naruto. "No. It's late. Go to sleep."

"If I go outside, you have to come with me."

"Don't try it."

Naruto grinned widely. "I bet I could."

"You'll wake Nii-san up. Don't."

The blond pouted. "I won't wake him up if you don't try and stay."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Please?" Naruto rolled over him, forcing Sasuke to look at his pouting face.

Although the sad face did nothing to tide the raven over at all, he couldn't help but feel a mild relief that the blond's mood earlier that day had been alleviated. It'd been hard to deal with – a genuinely sad Naruto. Sasuke wasn't keen on seeing it again.

He closed his eyes, sighed, and relented.

* * *

"Do you know about stars, and stuff?"

Sasuke looked up, and shook his head. The sky was clear, but although he was dazzled by the sight, he knew next to nothing about the names of the constellations.

Naruto deliberated for a moment, folding his arms and squinting. "Well, I think I know one... it's there, see?" He pointed indelicately at a set of three stars. "It's called, uh... uh-"

"Orion's belt."

The blond whipped his head around, eyebrows knotted. "Hey! Who told you? You said you didn't know anything!"

Sasuke thought for a moment, convinced that Naruto had told him himself- but realised it was a mere fabrication. He knotted his eyebrows, and shook his head. "I must have just heard the name somewhere. Sorry."

* * *

_ The surroundings are shimmering, light gleaming from all directions like the inside of a hollow sun. It's cold, so cold, and the pain – from everywhere, blood streaming from my lips and my chest and my neck, oh God my neck! The girl – boy? - collapsed on the floor in front of me, limp, unmoving against the icy concrete below. All for that idiot – wait, who? Where am I? Struggling against a body that won't move, choking out words from a throat clogged with ferrous-flavoured liquid-_

_ "Really... you're a burden... all the time..."_

_ I hear the person shuffle, getting up, and then a joyful exclamation-_

_ "You did it! Sasuke-"_

_ The boy stops, choking. I turn my head, he's looking at me with an expression that I've never seen before – he looks terrified, horrified, eyes frozen, unmoving as he sees me turn to look at him – even now, I feel this urge to piss him off – _

_ "Look at yourself..." _

_ "...usuratonkachi..."_

_ Naruto looks at me, looks at the blood that pours from my wounds, and he looks-_

_ "Why?!"_

_ - he looks as though he's about to cry._

_ "You... protected me..."_

_ Naruto's voice cracks._

_ "Who... knows..."_

_ Somehow I ended up here, standing in front of some idiot and dying for him, and though I convince myself I had nothing to do with it – I can't help but remember all the things he's said, the way we competed over everything – even though I know I don't care – _

_ I laugh._

_ "I... hated you..."_

_ I couldn't ignore this guy... not like everyone else – what an annoyance..._

_ "Why?! Why! Why did you...?!_

_ I didn't ask you to!"_

_ Yet, as I recall them-_

_ "Who knows... my body moved on it's own... moron..."_

_ - falling, I prepare to hit the floor, for the senbon in my flesh to pierce me deeper and kill me, but he's holding me, and though I want to shake him off and punch him in the jaw, I'm strangely-_

_ "Sasuke!"_

_ -happy._

_ Naruto clenches his fists, yelling, angry at me, and even as my body aches and crumbles under my own weight, even as I feel my eyelids growing heavier by the second, I feel this strange feeling, this odd sensation, that maybe this pain is fine, that dying here is fine, because-_

_ "That man... I didn't want to die until I'd killed my brother..."_

_ -somehow-_

_ "You... don't you die."_

_ -I just want you to be okay._

* * *

Sasuke woke up to the unpleasant sensation of being dragged across the floor.

"Usuratonkachi," he bit out through gritted teeth, "what exactly are you doing?"

Naruto shrugged. "I need to pee, and we're stuck together, and I did try to wake you up..."

The raven stood up with some reluctance, cradling the arm he'd hit against the door. "Try harder next time." His tone was bitter.

"I really need to pee, okay?! Come on!"

The ritual for the whole conjoined situation in terms of the bathroom was... difficult and awkward. The pee-er was required to use one hand, because if they used two, the proximity of the other person's hand was just... uncomfortable. They were also required to look away, but it was still incredibly awkward. Sasuke had no idea why Itachi thought this was such a good idea.

Even worse, Sasuke suspected that Naruto didn't consider it to be awkward at all. He made rather loud noises of relief that just made the Uchiha want to die.

"That was amazing," Naruto exhaled afterwards, zipping up and stretching – a motion which forced Sasuke to floppily raise his right arm. _Yeah, I bet it was._

With a jolt, Sasuke remembered his dream – the strangeness of it, how Naruto had been there, all those strange occurrences – and he yanked his arms to his side instinctively. The force pulled Naruto to the floor, and in turn, Sasuke.

The blond let out a wail. "Saaaasuke, why did you do that? My arm hurts."

"You dragged me across the floor."

"I needed to pee!"

"You could have woke me up!"

"You weren't waking up!"

"Try harder!"

"Fine, I'm going to pee on you tomorrow morning! All over you!"

"I... uh, made you two breakfast. If you want it." Itachi looked thoroughly disturbed by the conversation he'd intruded on. "Dare I ask what you were arguing about?"

"The fact that Naruto is inconsiderate."

"The fact that Sasuke doesn't understand my peeing needs!"

The elder Uchiha sibling nodded hesitantly, setting down two plates of pancakes and closing the door slowly behind him.

Naruto's eyes welled up with tears. "Now my new brother thinks I'm crazy!"

"You were threatening to pee on me!"

"It's justice!"

Despite the arguing, Sasuke could not simply bat away his dream. It had been real. He had been so sure it was real, there was so much depth and truth and realism to it – recalling memories he did not have, at an age he had not reached, Sasuke had given up his life for Naruto in a split second decision. Why he was thinking such things was, well, beyond him – he'd known this boy for what, a day or so?

But, although Sasuke did have what could be called friends, Naruto was a little...

...different.

And this dream was haunting. A premonition? The Uchiha felt the oddest feeling that the dream was trying to keep him away from this eccentric blond boy. Telling him, that should they remain friends, Sasuke would surely die.

The raven shook his head. _I can't just abandon Naruto over a dream. I'm..._

"Sasuke? Are you okay?"

_...I'm his only friend._

* * *

"Today, we'll be training."

Sasuke glared. "Last time you said that..."

The elder Uchiha smiled, shrugging. "Well, teamwork is essential. When faced with a strong opponent, the only chance a weaker opponent has is with flawless teamwork."

"Are we going to be stuck to a third person?"

Itachi smiled. "No. Are you familiar with a hostage situation?"

"Uh..."

The elder Uchiha settled on the ground. "In your career as a Konoha shinobi, you, or your friends, may be taken hostage by the enemy. 'Hostage', means when they kidnap someone and keep them alive to threaten you. For instance, they may say – 'If you attack us, we'll kill Sasuke!' or, 'If you don't give us the scroll, we'll kill Naruto!'"

Naruto blinked. "Eh? That's just mean!"

Itachi poked him in the forehead, provoking a jealous twitch from Sasuke. "That's a shinobi's life, Naruto. That aside, it might happen. So you need to know what to do, if it does."

Sasuke frowned. "If we get strong enough, that won't happen, will it?"

Itachi shook his head. "There is always someone stronger than you, and even then – they might have a sneak tactic, great teamwork – you might be kidnapped out of your tent in the night by a stealth shinobi. It's best not to get complacent. Never underestimate the enemy.

As a consequence, I've set up an exercise for you two today. First, the act of lock picking."

"Like, choosing a lock?"

"No." Itachi laid out a set of tools in front of Naruto and Sasuke, the two looking at them with curiosity. There were 2 sets of three tools; none of which the two recognised. They were pieces of metal, twisted and moulded into different shapes.

Itachi picked up the L-shaped tool. The thin piece of metal, at the top, turned flat and stuck out a right angle from the handle part of the tool. "This is the art of turning a lock without a key. It'll help you, whether you get locked out the house or get locked in a death chamber. This tool, is a tension wrench. The first step is putting this inside of a lock." The boy presented a cross-sectional lock, and inserted a tension wrench inside of it. "This will allow you to turn it, but these things – the pins – are in the way." He directed his fingers to several small metal cylinders of different sizes, hanging in a strange, fashion. "Do you see how they some of them are in the lock a lot, and some aren't in it much at all?"

The two nodded.

"This is the pattern that relies on the special pattern on a key. That's why your door won't open unless you put the right key in it." To demonstrate, Itachi removed the tension wrench and pushed a correct key into the lock. The pins pushed up above the turning part of the lock, allowing the key to turn the lock and open it.

Sasuke nodded. "Okay, so how are we supposed to get past it without the right key?"

"Patience, Sasuke." Itachi replaced the tension wrench. "This turns it, but the pins are in the way. The first thing you should try to do is something called raking."

"Raking? Like leaves?"

Itachi shook his head. "It's where you use this tool – the rake pick." The teen presented a small piece of metal, with one side slightly jagged, alike to a key. "This is where you push this tool through, and very quickly pull it back. At the same time, you turn the tension wrench." He did just that, and the pins that were pushed above the turning part of the lock were caught on the slight ledge created by the slight turning from the tension wrench. "The jagged parts of the rake pick push some of the pins up. Some of them will go up high, and because I'm turning the lock at the same time, they'll get caught on this little ledge-" he directed his finger to the way the slightly turned lock had created a small ledge "-stay up there. Most of the time, the rake pick doesn't push all of them up there but it makes our job a lot easier. This is when we use this tool – a half-diamond pick."

"Woah! Diamond?!"

Again, Itachi shook his head. "No, it's because of the shape. It's a triangle – half a diamond." Indeed, the tool's end had a half-diamond shape sticking out the side. "We use this to push up the ones that didn't go up first. Because of the way we're turning the lock with the tension wrench, as I said, the ones that go up, stay up. So we feel around with the pick, very carefully, to see which ones aren't above the turning part of the lock yet. We carefully push them up with the pointy part of the pick -" Itachi pushed the remaining ones above the turning part of the lock carefully, "- and we turn the lock with the tension wrench. But it's important to remember that if you don't turn the lock the right way when you're setting the pins, it won't open, and you'll have to start again." Itachi turned the lock, and the deadbolt pulled back, signifying the open lock.

"Finally, you can test the right way to turn a lock before you start by checking. If you turn it one way, and you hear a tick noise as you turn it too far – it's the wrong way. If you turn it the other way and it's just too hard to turn – there's no ticking noise – then that's the correct way."

Sasuke nodded, and to his pleasure, Itachi could see the understanding on his face. Naruto, on the other hand, appeared to understand to an extent – but...

"So, I can use this to like, break into people's houses?"

"Theoretically, yes, but we're using it as an emergency tactic." His words did nothing to alleviate the damage.

The blond folded his arms – thereby dragging Sasuke awkwardly to the side – and grinned widely.

Itachi smiled. "I hope you two were listening. Remember – a shinobi must be resourceful!"

With that, Naruto found himself seeing stars, tilting forwards and then nothing at all.

* * *

Sasuke felt almost as though he'd woken up in a spider's web, blood drained and bound in a coffin of steel-strong string. He groaned, trying to move.

His head hurt, a lot. His efforts to move had only further confirmed his suspicions as reality. He was bound by what felt like chains, presumably padlocks somewhere on them – and his eyes too wear covered, bound, and as he moved his head slightly a heavy weight swung at the back.

Judging by the lax, unmoving weight he felt, he judged that Naruto was bound to him too, but he hadn't woke up.

"Idiot."

Silence.

"Get up."

Nothing.

"Naruto."

He didn't even move. Sasuke sighed.

"NARUTO!"

"Wha-what?! Sasuke, is that you? I'm blind!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Stop wailing. This is Itachi's training exercise, remember?"

"O-oh, yeah. Got it. So..." Naruto paused, shuffling. "What do we do?"

"Lock picking, remember? It must be to test that. Dammit, I can't feel a pick anywhere on my body... can you?"

"Uh..." Naruto moved his body, shuffling so as to try and feel any sharp objects. "No..."

Sasuke cursed, and tried to think. "Dammit. I think we're... tied to a chair, my hands are tied to my sides but we're not stuck together any more. We should be able to pass anything we find..." Sasuke realised he was indeed, not wearing shoes, and his eyebrows shot up. "Oi, Naruto! Feel with your feet."

"Ah, what?"

"Just do it, moron!"

So they both did, and though Sasuke found himself stretching and touching nothing, he heard the distinctive noise of scraping metal.

"Aa, Sasuke! Think I got something!"

"Good, try and pick it up and unlock one of your chains."

Naruto grumbled. "You say that like it's easy. Don't we need that... what... tension trench_ and_ the pick thing?"

The Uchiha twitched as he realised Naruto was right. "Just get it for now. It's all we have."

For a couple minutes, all Sasuke could hear was the straining of Naruto's voice and the scraping of metal, then nothing. "Got- it. But... there're no locks I can reach..."

"Pass it to me, usuratonkachi."

"Call me that again and I'll stay here until we starve!"

Nonetheless, the blond twisted his hand awkwardly backwards, Sasuke feeling the tip of the utensil as it was passed to him. The tip was sharp, and the Uchiha recognised it to be the half-diamond pick that Itachi had spoke about, but as Sasuke felt around with his hands, there was no possible locks that he could unlock either. The raven felt a twinge of annoyance. _Itachi surely can't expect us to use our feet._

_Think. Think. Think._

Sasuke tried to remember the things Itachi had taught him. The rules, the tales, the training he'd given him when the younger raven had begged so keenly after the elder Uchiha sibling had returned from an ANBU meeting – he tried his best to recall it.

With that thought, Sasuke plunged the tool into the back of Naruto's hand. The boy shrieked in pain, and the raven heard the soft patter of blood dripping off Naruto's hand and onto the floor.

The Uchiha yanked the utensil out of Naruto's soft flesh, feeling the boy shaking with the pain, though Sasuke imagined it to be more the shock.

"You bastard! I'm going to kick the-"

"Check again."

Naruto stopped.

"What?"

Sasuke forced the bloodied utensil into Naruto's grip. "Check for locks again."

The blond took the pick back, hand pained and shaking as he used the stretch of the pick to check around for locks – and were there was once space, he found a heavy padlock. "Sasuke, how did you-"

"This lesson... well, it had nothing to do with lock-picking at all. I've not given you a tension wrench, after all. A shinobi must always look underneath the underneath – you saw beneath the guise of this lesson being about lock-picking. Well done, Sasuke. You broke Naruto's genjutsu."

That was when Naruto felt a sinking feeling, a strange sensation.

_Is the life of a shinobi the kind of life where you hurt your friends?_

* * *

_"Even if I have to break all the bones in your body and drag you home, I won't let you go to Orochimaru!"_

* * *

Naruto awoke, remembering nothing more than his own angry yell. It still echoed, but though he struggled, he could remember nothing more. It made no sense at all to him, so he let it go.

He turned over, stretching. "Sasuke, what time is-"

The blond's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach, and he felt a tight, material grip around his mouth and wrap around his skull. Though Naruto felt fear shaking his every sense, the question pulsating rhythmically at the forefront of his mind was the one that asked about his friend. _Why can't I feel his weight on my arm? Where is Sasuke?_

The darkness came all the same.

* * *

Silence.

Naruto turned his head – there was slight leeway, but it was bound by some sort of strong leather constriction. The blond child found himself beginning to panic, but bit down strongly on the touch material bound through his teeth. The effort did little to ease the fear, and Naruto felt stifled by the darkness of the material tightly bound over his eyes.

_Okay. Feet. _He attempted to lift his legs, but they were tightly bound. Wiggling his toes and turning his legs' directions slightly was possible, but he doubted it would do anything. He shuffled his torso; again, tightly bound. His fingers were movable... if he stretched the limits of his hand, he could touch his wrist. It was a hard effort, but doable. Naruto had little idea what help this would provide as of yet.

"Sasuke?"

Speaking was painful, and he found – despite the power he put into it, it came out as a mere whisper. The sound of it echoed in the room. At least, it sounded like a room, and felt like one. No wind, an echo, and a cold surface below him that was perfectly straight. If Sasuke had been in the room, Naruto was sure he would have at least heard him pulling against his restraints, unless he was unconscious. But although the Uzumaki strained his ears, Naruto could not hear Sasuke's breathing. _Good sign._

His heart sank. _Unless he's dead._

He hoped no one was watching him. The idea of being surveyed like a hawk without his knowledge made Naruto's hands shake.

A scream sounded.

The blond immediately recognised Sasuke's shrill cry. He was in pain, screaming as though someone was torturing him slowly. Naruto heard the incoherent syllables, the sentences Sasuke was trying to form through the hellish shrieks of agony.

He froze for a moment, terrified. For the first time in the few minutes he'd been conscious, he wondered why. Why had anyone taken him? Naruto wasn't a genius or anything special, like Sasuke. He wasn't worth anything to anyone. He wasn't even a ninja yet.

_And what about Itachi-nii-san? Have they taken him, too?_

Naruto felt as though his heart had turned to a lump of ice as he thought, but he pulled his thoughts together haphazardly._ I need to get out. First, I need to get out._

The blond struggled, and he thought so hard he felt as though the veins in his head would burst. He strained the muscles in his hand looking for locks, anything that would help him out. He'd even gouged wounds in his own flesh with his nails in an attempt to eradicate any genjutsu, though Naruto wasn't sure if it strictly worked like that.

The screams began sounding again, worse, because Sasuke was crying. Naruto could hear him crying. Between the ear-piercing wails were the sobs. They were achingly pathetic, desperate, begging as Naruto heard them. The words he was mumbling through floods of tears and choking and hiccups were incoherent pleas for mercy, for it to stop, even begging for whoever it was to just kill him. The blond found himself angrily pulling at the restraints with more force than he had before.

Even more antagonising was the fact that the person – whoever it was – had said nothing at all. Naruto had heard no distinguishing word, description, tone of voice. He could not hear what he was doing or anything of the like. All Naruto could hear was the horrible, soul-destroying noise of Sasuke's pitiful crying.

For a moment, the crying stopped, and all the blond could hear was Sasuke's heavy, pain-ridden breathing.

"Naruto." Sasuke was breathing heavily. "Did you take him?"

The blond attempted to scream, but found himself letting out a mighty, soundless exhale.

Naruto heard footsteps, and then a low voice. "Hmm... Naruto?" Sasuke's breathing was heavy, and the blond heard the man pace for a moment. "I think he's probably dead, now."

Naruto found himself screaming silently, pulling at those restraints, begging, _please let me out-_

"How could you..."

Sasuke's voice was so quiet but then-

"How _could_ you?"

-Sasuke's voice was escalating, and he began howling in pain, the piercing cries making Naruto struggle more, and more, and more-

"What did we ever do!?" The words were gasped out between agonized sobbing. "What did Naruto ever do?! He was just a dead last idiot!" The screaming stopped, and there was just an empty, echoing heaving of breath, choking and crying. Hiccuping. "Naruto..."

Naruto tore at his bounds, so hard, not enough, and he flooded with red-hot anger, desperately trying-

The man spoke again. "This is the result of friendship. Hardship. Pain. Naruto's weakness lead to his death. You're weak. What's the point in forming friendships if you are not strong enough to protect them?"

Sasuke's pain re-ensued, and Naruto heard a resounding bang and Sasuke's coughing, spluttering and then vomiting. The blond realised that the boy had been punched in the gut.

"Look at you now. Exposed. I could kill you in seconds." The man walked a couple of steps. "That boy, Uzumaki Naruto, housed a demon of mass proportions. It was due time he died, you know? He was a pitiful orphan, who killed thousands. The Nine-Tailed fox."

Naruto stopped. His struggling muscles turned stone-cold stiff, and his heart pounded. _Me? The Nine-Tailed fox?_

"Countless Konoha shinobi, destroyed with a swipe of his tails. He was true evil. And you consider that boy a friend?"

There was a fatal pause, and Naruto felt his heart pounding, felt tears in his eyes as he felt himself fall limp._ That's it, isn't it? That's why everyone hates me. Because I killed everyone. That's why my birthday's on that day. That's why!_

_And now Sasuke hates me too._

"You're wrong."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You're wrong, because if Naruto was some all-powerful demon, he wouldn't have sucked at taijutsu so much." Sasuke's breathing was struggling; his coughing sounded wet with blood. "So what? So what if he had something like a demon inside of him... Naruto would never do anything like that. No matter how mean everyone was, no matter what they did to push him down, Naruto stood up. He was an idiot, quick to anger and he couldn't concentrate, but he was my friend, and I knew... I_ know _Naruto for who he is! He's Uzumaki Naruto!"

There was the sound of Sasuke's gasping, slowing breath.

"Well then," the man said. He sounded amused, humoured by the situation, and Naruto felt himself angering, furious with rage. "Sleep well, little Sasuke. What'll keep you from the demon's maw?"

Naruto felt his eyes streaming with tears, and with a final flood of angry strength, the binds around his hands tore.

He pulled off the binds around his eyes, the bright light making his retina feel as though it was going to split in half. The blond examined his surroundings; he was tied to a table, and he reached out with an aching pain to the legs of the table, where the bindings that held his whole body down were cordoned to. They unravelled, and Naruto took in a deep breath from the freedom of his ribcage. Step by step, he undid every knot, and then he took a proper look at the room.

It was like a dungeon; the walls were wooden and floors were stone, the only furniture in the room was the table, which was Spartan and a very clear cut, simple design. It was rotting slightly, and the room stank of damp. He tested his feet on the floor, the weakness of his steps cluing him to the fact that he may have been knocked out for a long time. It didn't feel as though his muscles had atrophied, but more that he'd simply slept for days.

His useless muscles rendered his idea of knocking the door down impractical, but Naruto could see a lock on the door, and he recalled that lesson that Itachi had taught them.

For the first time in his life, Naruto wished he had listened to a teacher better.

He scoured the room. No nothing. Nothing he could use as a pick or a tension wrench; just damp, and a table. The table was his best bet.

The blond approached it, thinking desperately about what to do_. If I chip off a large splinter or two, will that do it? _He supposed he had no choice, and Naruto found himself picking with his nails at a chip. The splinter recovered was useless, weak and damp; he tried again, his nails aching with the effort.

He did it again. Again. Again. He couldn't remember how many times more.

There- there it was, a usable splinter. It was long and sturdy; he tried to bend it, but it didn't budge. It'd been far enough away from the damp in order to have retained strong. Naruto thanked whatever God there was for the blessing of a possible tension wrench. _Okay. Now I need another one like this._

Naruto just needed a similar piece, and after a couple more tries, he got it; he knew there was no way he was finding a half-diamond pick, so he bent the end in an attempt to mimic the style. He took the pieces, pride settling in his stomach as he fiddled the tension wrench in with some difficulty, and he turned it until he was sure it was turning the correct way.

As the blond attained the correct angle, smiling, he stopped, feeling his grip loosen and his head spin and his heart pound.

The breathing. The breathing had stopped.

Sasuke had gone dead silent.

* * *

"You." Jiraiya's gaze was venomous. "On neutral ground with Konoha? Hah."

"A couple of years ago, you'd have welcomed me home. Or decades? Well. Does it really matter?"

The toad sage narrowed his eyes, fists quivering with rage.

Orochimaru saw the silent question asked, and shrugged effortlessly, grinning. "The situation has... changed."

* * *

**AN: Man! Plot! I've been so excited for this. Boom boom boom. Review and criticise!**

**Also, I'm really sorry about the massively long lock-picking explanation. But I dunno. Any less and it... well, it wouldn't have been a lesson. This chapter is kind of shorter than usual, but I hope you'll like it all the same! I brought it out sooner too, because I've been super pumped. I really like writing this plot.**

**Any criticisms about the plot, characterisation, anything really, spelling errors, please review and criticise and I'll do my best to rectify them in future chapters (or this one, depending on what it is). Thank you all so much for your continuous support and kindness!**


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